Draft Watcher Knightmare's 2015 Draft Almanac

[Knightmare]

2015 power rankings:

-- Top five on list quality --

1. Jacob Hopper (NSW - GWS ACADEMY - MID)

2. Clayton Oliver (VIC – MID)

3. Jacob Weitering (VIC – KPD)

4. Callum Mills (NSW - SYDNEY ACADEMY – MID)

-- Top ten on list quality --

5. Ben Keays (QLD – BRISBANE ACADEMY – MID/FWD)

6. Matthew Kennedy (NSW - GWS ACADEMY – MID/FWD)

7. Joshua Schache (VIC – KPF)

-- Projected best 22 players --

8. Eric Hipwood (QLD – BRISBANE ACADEMY - KPP)

9. Aaron Francis (SA – UTIL)

10. Mitchell Hibberd (TAS – DEF/MID)

11. Kieran Collins (VIC – KPD)

12. Wayne Milera (SA –FWD/MID)

13. Luke Partington (SA – MID/FWD)

14. Darcy Parish (VIC – UTIL)

15. Ryan Clarke (VIC – MID/FWD)

16. Ryan Burton (SA – FWD)

17. Harley Balic (VIC – MID/FWD)

18. Thomas Cole (VIC – UTIL)

19. Rhys Mathieson (VIC – MID/FWD)

20. Harry Himmelberg (NSW – GWS ACADEMY – KPF)

21. Kieran Lovell (TAS – MID)

22.Jade Gresham (VIC – MID)

23. Brayden Fiorini (VIC – MID)

-- In with a chance of making the grade --

24. Sam Weideman (VIC – KPF)

25. Charlie Curnow (VIC – KPF/MID)

26. Harrison McKay (VIC – KPF/RUCK)

27. Darcy Tucker (VIC – MID/DEF)

28. Daniel Rioli (NT – FWD)

29. Callum Ah Chee (WA – FWD/MID)

30. David Cuningham (VIC – MID)

31. Josh Dunkley (VIC – SYD – F/S – MID)

32. Blake Hardwick (VIC – FWD)

33. Ben McKay (VIC – KPP)

34. Riley Bonner (SA – UTIL)

35. Bailey Rice (VIC –ST KILDA FATHER SON - DEF/MID)

36. Corey Wagner (QLD – BRISBANE ACADEMY - MID)

37. Jack Silvagni (VIC – CARLTON FATHER SON – KPP)

38. Tom Phillips (VIC – MID/FWD)

39. Bailey Williams (SA – MID/FWD)

40. Nicholas Coughlan (NSW – GWS ACADEMY – KPD)

-- Best of the rest --

41. Marcus Adams (WA – KPD)

42. Michael Hartley (VIC – KPD)

43. Mitchell Brown (VIC – KPP)

44. Sam Menegola (WA – MID/FWD)

45. Brandon White (VIC – DEF)

46. Daniel Capiron (VIC – DEF)

47. Nick Dodge (TAS – FWD)

48. Josh Wagner (QLD – DEF)

49. Christopher Jansen (SA – MID/DEF)

50. Mason Redman (SA – FWD/MID)

Next 10:

Nathan Broad (WA – DEF)

Yestin Eades (VIC – MID)

Clint Hinchliffe (WA – MID)

Jadyn Brind (SA – FWD/MID)

Nash Holmes (VIC – MID)

Kaine Stevens (SA – MID/FWD)

Ben Crocker (VIC – FWD/MID)

Sam Skinner (VIC – KPD)

Jesse Glass-McCasker (WA – KPD)

Tom Keough (SA – DEF/KPD)

 

[Knightmare]

2015 Phantom Draft:


1. Carlton – Jacob Weitering (VIC – KPD)
Height: 195cm, Weight: 90kg, DOB: 23/11/1997
Recruited from: Dandenong Stingrays
Range: 1
Profile: Complete key defender.


2. Brisbane – Joshua Schache (VIC – KPF)
Height: 199cm, Weight: 96kg, DOB: 21/08/1997
Recruited from: Murray Bushrangers
Range: 2
Profile: Precise goalkicking key forward.


3. Sydney (assumed bid) - Callum Mills (NSW/ACT - SYDNEY ACADEMY – MID)
Height: 186cm, Weight: 80kg, DOB: 04/02/1997
Recruited from: Sydney Swans
Range: 1st round
Profile: High production inside midfielder.


4. Melbourne (via trade) – Clayton Oliver (VIC – MID)
Height: 187cm, Weight: 86kg, DOB: 22/07/1997
Recruited from: Murray Bushrangers
Range: 3-10
Profile: Powerful inside midfielder who improved rapidly and had a big second half to the season.


5. GWS (assumed bid) - Jacob Hopper (NSW/ACT - GWS ACADEMY - MID)
Height: 186cm, Weight: 82kg, DOB: 06/02/1997
Recruited from: North Ballarat Rebels
Range: 1st round
Profile: Most dominant stoppage player in the draft.


6. GWS (assumed bid) - Matthew Kennedy (NSW - GWS Academy – MID/FWD)
Height: 187cm, Weight: 84kg, DOB: 06/04/1997
Recruited from: Collingullie GP
Range: 1st round
Profile: Powerful, big bodied inside midfield.


7. Essendon – Aaron Francis (SA – UTIL)
Height: 190cm, Weight: 86kg, DOB: 10/08/1997
Recruited from: West Adelaide
Range: 3-10
Profile: Aggressive rebounding defender who also can do damage forward of centre.


8. Essendon (via trade) – Darcy Parish (VIC – UTIL)
Height: 181cm, Weight: 73kg, DOB: 25/07/1997
Recruited from: Geelong Falcons
Range: 3-10
Profile: High production, skilful midfielder.


9. Gold Coast (via trade) – Callum Ah Chee (WA – FWD/MID)
Height: 182cm, Weight: 71kg, DOB: 09/10/1997
Recruited from: South Fremantle
Range: 5-15
Profile: Athletic forward/midfielder.


10. Melbourne (via trade) – Sam Weideman (VIC – KPF)
Height: 196cm, Weight: 91kg, DOB: 26/06/1997
Recruited from: Eastern Ranges
Range: 3-10
Profile: Explosive marking power forward.


11. Carlton (via trade) – Harrison McKay (VIC – KPF/RUCK)
Height: 200cm, Weight: 85kg, DOB: 24/12/1997
Recruited from: Gippsland Power
Range: 5-15
Profile: Developing athletic tall forward.


12. Brisbane (assumed bid) - Eric Hipwood (QLD – BRISBANE ACADEMY - KPP)
Height: 200cm, Weight: 82kg, DOB: 13/09/1997
Recruited from: Caloundra
Range: 1st round
Profile: Rapidly developing key position prospect.


13. Adelaide (via trade) – Wayne Milera (SA –FWD/MID)
Height: 185cm, Weight: 75kg, DOB: 14/09/1997
Recruited from: Central Districts
Range: 5-15
Profile: Damaging midfielder with class and evasiveness.


14. Carlton (via trade) – Charlie Curnow (VIC – MID/KPF)
Height: 191cm, Weight: 95kg, DOB: 03/02/1997
Recruited from: Geelong Falcons
Range: 3-20
Profile: Athletic and powerful marking tall who some speculate may develop into a midfielder at AFL level.


15. Brisbane (assumed bid) - Ben Keays (QLD – BRISBANE ACADEMY – MID/FWD)
Height: 185cm, Weight: 82.3kg, DOB: 23/02/1997
Recruited from: Brisbane Lions
Range: 1st round
Profile: Strong marking, goalkicking midfielder.


16. Richmond – Daniel Rioli (NT – FWD)
Height: 179cm, Weight: 65kg, DOB: 16/04/1997
Recruited from: North Ballarat Rebels
Range: 15-35
Profile: Talented small with freakish speed and ground level ability.


17. Adelaide –Ryan Burton (SA – FWD)
Height: 191cm, Weight: 90kg, DOB: 31/01/1997
Recruited from: North Adelaide
Range: 10-30
Profile: Leadup marking forward.


18. St Kilda (via trade) - Kieran Collins (VIC – KPD)
Height: 193cm, Weight: 94kg, DOB: 14/12/1997
Recruited from: Dandenong Stingrays
Range: 10-25
Profile: Strong bodied key defender who can beat his man and take his share of intercept marks.


19. Hawthorn (via trade) – Mitchell Hibberd (TAS – DEF/MID)
Height: 191cm, Weight: 85kg, DOB: 23/09/1996
Recruited from: Clarence
Range: 10-35
Profile: Athletic, powerful, long kicking outside type who has improved greatly this year.


20. Gold Coast (via trade) – Jade Gresham (VIC – MID)
Height: 177cm, Weight: 74kg, DOB: 24/08/1997
Recruited from: Northern Knights
Range: 10-30
Profile: Highly productive small midfielder.


21. GWS (assumed bid) - Harry Himmelberg (NSW – GWS ACADEMY – KPF)
Height: 192cm, Weight: 84kg, DOB: 08/05/1996
Recruited from: Eastlake
Range: 1st – 2nd round
Profile: Talented key forward with ground level ability and aerial marking ability.


22. North Melbourne (via trade) – Harley Balic (VIC – MID/FWD)
Height: 186cm, Weight: 80kg, DOB: 05/01/1997
Recruited from: Sandringham Dragons
Range: 10-25
Profile: Composed midfielder/forward.


23. Hawthorn – Thomas Cole (VIC – UTIL)
Height: 185cm, Weight: 76kg, DOB: 28/08/1997
Recruited from: Bendigo Pioneers
Range: 15-35
Profile: High production, versatile type.


24. Carlton (via trade) - David Cuningham (VIC – MID)
Height: 183cm, Weight: 79kg, DOB: 30/03/1997
Recruited from: Oakleigh Chargers
Range: 15-35
Profile: Talented midfielder with an explosive sidestep and pace.


25. Western Bulldogs (via trade) – Josh Dunkley (VIC – SYDNEY F/S – MID)
Height: 189cm, Weight: 82kg, DOB: 09/01/1997
Recruited from: Gippsland Power
Range: 20-rookie
Profile: Dominant contested ball winning midfielder.


26. Western Bulldogs (via trade) – Riley Bonner (SA – UTIL)
Height: 191cm, Weight: 80kg, DOB: 07/03/1997
Recruited from: West Adelaide
Range: 15-35
Profile: Tall outside type/flanker with a damaging kick.


27. Fremantle (via trade) –Ben McKay (VIC – KPP)
Height: 200cm, Weight: 91kg, DOB: 24/12/1997
Recruited from: Gippsland Power
Range: 15-35
Profile: Developing big bodied tall with a strong frame.


28. West Coast (via trade) – Darcy Tucker (VIC – MID/DEF)
Height: 184cm, Weight: 78kg, DOB: 23/01/1997
Recruited from: North Ballarat Rebels
Range: 10-30
Profile: Athletic outside runner.


29. Essendon (via trade) - Rhys Mathieson (VIC – MID/FWD)
Height: 185cm, Weight: 79kg, DOB: 10/01/1997
Recruited from: Geelong Falcons
Range: 10-35
Profile: High production inside midfielder who can push forward.


30. Essendon (via trade) - Sam Skinner (VIC – KPP)
Height: 197cm, Weight: 96kg, DOB: 29/06/1997
Recruited from: Gippsland Power
Range: 15-35
Profile: Promising key position player who missed much of this season hurt.


31. North Melbourne (via trade) – Brayden Fiorini (VIC – MID)
Height: 186cm, Weight: 75kg, DOB: 22/08/1997
Recruited from: Northern Knights
Range: 20-40
Profile: Productive outside midfielder with good footskills.


32. Collingwood (via trade) - Mason Redman (SA – MID/FWD)
Height: 187cm, Weight: 76kg, DOB: 26/08/1997
Recruited from: Glenelg
Range: 25-50
Profile: Talented midfielder/forward.


33. St Kilda (assumed bid) - Bailey Rice (VIC – ST KILDA F/S - DEF/MID)
Height: 184cm, Weight: 81kg, DOB: 10/02/1997
Recruited from: Dandenong Stingrays
Range: 20-50
Profile: Damaging but efficient outside type.


34. North Melbourne (via trade) - Ryan Clarke (VIC – MID/FWD)
Height: 185cm, Weight: 84kg, DOB: 17/06/1997
Recruited from: Eastern Ranges
Range: 20-40
Profile: High level accumulator with acceleration and ability to hit the scoreboard.


35. Gold Coast (via trade) - Brandon White (VIC – DEF)
Height: 188cm, Weight: 77kg, DOB: 13/01/1997
Recruited from: Dandenong Stringrays
Range: 25-rookie
Profile: Tall backman with a good two way game.


36. Western Bulldogs - Marcus Adams (WA – KPD)
Height: 193cm, Weight: 98kg, DOB: 30/06/1993
Recruited from: West Perth
Range: 20-rookie
Profile: Athletic and power key defender with strong intercept marking ability.


37. West Coast (via trade) – Alex Morgan (VIC – DEF/MID)
Height: 180cm, Weight: 80kg, DOB: 28/01/1996
Recruited from: Oakleigh Chargers
Range: 20-50
Profile: Outside linebreaker.


38. Port Adelaide (via trade) – Aidyn Johnson (VIC – MID)
Height: 184cm, Weight: 75kg, DOB: 31/10/1997
Recruited from: Bendigo Pioneers
Range: 20-50
Profile: Athletic midfielder who can break the lines.


39. Fremantle (via trade) - Nathan Broad (WA – DEF)
Height: 191cm, Weight: 83kg, DOB: 15/04/1993
Recruited from: Swan Districts
Range: 30-undrafted
Profile: Tall mature age running backman.


40. Melbourne (via trade) - Tom Doedee (VIC – DEF)
Height: 187cm, Weight: 83kg, DOB: 01/03/1997
Recruited from: Geelong Falcons
Range: 25-undrafted
Profile: Shutdown defender.


41. North Melbourne (via trade) – Luke Partington (SA – MID/FWD)
Height: 182cm, Weight: 75kg, DOB: 05/03/1997
Recruited from: Port Adelaide
Range: 20-50
Profile: High level accumulator with good pace, footskills and the ability to hit the scoreboard.


42. Carlton (assumed bid) - Jack Silvagni (VIC – CARLTON F/S - KPP)
Height: 190cm, Weight: 81kg, DOB: 17/12/1997
Recruited from: Oakleigh Chargers
Range: 30-rookie
Profile: Promising but undersized key position player.


43. Hawthorn (via trade) - William Snelling (SA - MID)
Height: 176cm, Weight: 75kg, DOB: 06/08/1997
Recruited from: West Adelaide
Range: 30-undrafted
Profile: Productive small midfielder.


44. Port Adelaide (via trade) –Blake Hardwick (VIC – FWD)
Height: 181cm, Weight: 78kg, DOB: 05/02/1997
Recruited from: Eastern Ranges
Range: 30-undrafted
Profile: Talented forward who provides heavy scoreboard impact.


45. GWS (assumed bid) – Matthew Flynn (NSW/ACT - GWS ACADEMY – RUCK)
Height: 200cm, Weight: 99kg, DOB: 13/09/1997
Recruited from: Narrandera
Range: 25-undrafted
Profile: Mobile ruckman.


46. Melbourne (via trade) – Kieran Lovell (TAS – MID)
Height: 174cm, Weight: 80kg, DOB: 16/05/1997
Recruited from: Kingston Tigers
Range: 20-rookie
Profile: Powerful, and athletic small midfielder who can find the footy in bunches.


47. Brisbane (assumed bid) – Reuben William (QLD – BRISBANE ACADEMY - UTIL)
Height: 181.5cm, Weight: 73.8kg, DOB: 07/10/1997
Recruited from: Wilston Grange
Range: 25-undrafted
Profile: Raw but promising talent.


48. Western Bulldogs – Declan Mountford (WA – MID)
Height: 183cm, Weight: 70kg, DOB: 13/02/1997
Recruited from: Claremont
Range: 30-undrafted
Profile: Hard working midfielder.


49. Brisbane (assumed bid) - Corey Wagner (QLD – BRISBANE ACADEMY - MID)
Height: 180cm, Weight: 71kg, DOB: 23/03/1997
Recruited from: Sandgate
Range: 30-undrafted
Profile: Classy midfielder.


50. Richmond – Nicholas O’Kearney (VIC – MID)
Height: 180cm, Weight: 71kg, DOB: 13/02/1997
Recruited from: Calder Cannons
Range: 30-rookie
Profile: High production midfielder.


51. Sydney – Jesse Glass-McCasker (WA – KPD)
Height: 198cm, Weight: 95kg, DOB: 03/01/1997
Recruited from: Swan Districts
Range: 25-undrafted
Profile: Tall, strong shutdown key defender.


52. Sydney – Sam Murray (VIC – MID/DEF)
Height: 188cm, Weight: 78kg, DOB: 1997
Recruited from: Wodonga
Range: 30-undrafted
Profile: Raw talent from the country.


53. Gold Coast (via trade) - Sam Menagola (WA – MID)
Height: 188cm, Weight: 90kg, DOB: 07/03/1992
Recruited from: Subiaco
Range: 25-undrafted
Profile: Improved bid bodied midfield with great endurance.


54. Essendon (via trade) - Mitch Brown (VIC – KPP)
Height: 196cm, Weight: 93kg, DOB: 28/08/1990
Recruited from: Sandringham (VFL)
Range: 25-undrafted
Profile: Versatile, ready to produce key position player.


55. Fremantle (via trade) – Joshua Schoenfeld (WA - DEF/MID)
Height: 186cm, Weight: 75kg, DOB: 03/07/1997
Recruited from: Peel Thunder
Range: 30-undrafted
Profile: Running backman/outside type.


56. West Coast (via trade) – Thomas Glen (VIC – DEF)
Height: 187cm, Weight: 72kg, DOB: 07/05/1997
Recruited from: Dandenong Stingrays
Range: 30 - undrafted
Profile: Tall rebounding defender.


57. Collingwood (via trade) - Bailey Williams (SA – MID/FWD)
Height: 187cm, Weight: 77kg, DOB:
Recruited from: Glenelg
Range: 30-undrafted
Profile: High production midfielder with some tricks.


58. Geelong - Nicholas Coughlan (NSW/ACT – GWS ACADEMY - KPP)
Height: 195cm, Weight: 83kg, DOB: 12/09/1996
Recruited from: Murray Bushrangers
Range: 2nd round-undrafted
Profile: Developing key position player.


59. Adelaide - Callum Moore (VIC – KPF)
Height: 193cm, Weight: 85kg, DOB: 03/09/1996
Recruited from: Calder Cannons
Range: 30-undrafted
Profile: Athletic, overage key forward.


60. Collingwood - Tom Phillips (VIC – MID/FWD)
Height: 184cm, Weight: 74kg, DOB: 07/05/1996
Recruited from: Oakleigh Chargers
Range: 40-undrafted
Profile: Well rounded midfielder.


61. Geelong - Brayden Hackett (WA – MID)
Height: 181cm, Weight: 67kg, DOB: 01/02/1997
Recruited from: Swan Districts
Range: 30-undrafted
Profile: Light bodied midfielder.


62. Essendon - Ben Crocker (VIC – FWD/MID)
Height: 185cm, Weight: 81kg, DOB: 19/02/1997
Recruited from: Oakleigh Chargers
Range: 30-rookie
Profile: Strong marking medium forward who can push up into the midfield.


63. Port Adelaide - James Parsons (VIC – UTIL)
Height: 189cm, Weight: 75kg, DOB: 12/04/1997
Recruited from: Eastern Ranges
Range: 30-undrafted
Profile: Tall outside midfielder with some pace and good footskills.


64. GWS (assumed bid) - Lachlan Tiziani (NSW – GWS Academy – DEF/FWD)
Height: 188cm, Weight: 80kg, DOB: 13/03/1997
Recruited from: Murray
Range: 30-undrafted
Profile: Good ball user with some pace.


65. Geelong - Kurt Mutimer (VIC – DEF/MID)
Height: 185cm, Weight: 81kg, DOB: 11/03/1997
Recruited from: Dandenong Stringrays
Range: 30-undrafted
Profile: Athletic, contested ball winner.


66. Geelong - Jack Firns (VIC – KPD)
Height: 194cm, Weight: 90kg, DOB: 09/09/1997
Recruited from: Oakleigh Chargers
Range: 30-undrafted
Profile: Strong bodied shutdown key defender.


67. St Kilda - Cameron Hewett (SA – MID/FWD)
Height: 189cm, Weight: 76kg, DOB: 26/02/1997
Recruited from: North Adelaide
Range: 30-undrafted
Profile: Tall ball winning midfielder/forward.

 

[Knightmare]

2015 Draft Profiles:


1. Jacob Hopper(NSW - GWS ACADEMY – MID)
Height: 186cm, Weight: 82kg, DOB: 06/02/1997
Recruited from: North Ballarat Rebels
Reminds me of: Josh Kennedy (Sydney version)
Best position/role: Midfield – on the ball.
Strengths:
Inside game – Hopper has a complete inside game and is among the most dominant if not the most dominant pure inside midfielder in this draft class. Hopper is a dominant contested ball winner who has that real hardness at the ball and has excellent tackling ability. He wins big clearance numbers and has excellent ability to win first possession through strong ability to read the ruck taps and get to best position and will often from that first possession look to kick long and find a target up the ground, or failing that get a quick, clean handball off to a target. He also has excellent strength through the legs and hips which allow him to stand up through tackles which gives him more time to make a decision with ball in hand and dispose of it, or alternatively allows him at times to take on would-be tacklers thanks to his strength. He also not frequently but sometimes shows some evasive moves to create space for himself or to avoid a tackler. At stoppages he is dominant in each of these key areas and is overall at stoppages the biggest difference maker in this draft class.
Contested ball winning ability – A very high proportion of the ball Hopper wins is from contested situations. Hopper is someone who puts his head over the ball and goes in harder than the next guy to ensure he wins the ball. He will win his 10+ contested possessions per game and has the ability to be dominant in this category at AFL level based on his extreme dominance in this category against all opponents he has come up against.
Toughness – Hopper is as hard at the footy as anyone in this draft, and just has that extra want for the footy. He will consistently put his body on the line going for the ball, be it a ground ball, or in the air going for a mark he will put his body on the line and give up his body as required.
Tackling ability – Hopper is a dominant tackler. He brings excellent tackling energy and pressure to the contest and will dump players in his tackles and critically gets the holding the ball calls going his way as he gets down low for his tackles.
Scoreboard impact – Hopper has added to his arsenal the ability to provide significant scoreboard impact having games including 3, 4 and 6 goals in various games when rotating between the midfield and front half.
Ability forward of centre – Hopper given his substantial scoreboard impact should prove more than capable of playing forward of centre at AFL level when required in addition to playing through the midfield. Hopper is excellent at winning the ground balls and can crumb in the forward 50. His tackling pressure and strength of tackling is terrific, and he is also very good overhead with his ability on the lead and in the air though at times overhead he can lack consistency.
Hands in close – Hopper has clean hands at ground level and can quickly get handballs in traffic off to targets.
Composure with ball in hand – Hopper is an excellent decision maker with ball in hand, and can quickly make decisions and pass it off by hand or foot to a team mate in good position. At stoppages also impressive at times is his vision and ability to find and hit targets up the field after winning his own ball inside the contest.
Footskills – Hopper is overall a good but not great kick of the footy. He has only average penetration. What makes him damaging with ball in hand is more so good decision making and vision I have found along with his composure that allows him at times to display hurt-factor by foot.
Endurance and athleticism – Hopper is overall a very good athlete. He has excellent endurance with a 15+ beep and as such can get from contest to contest easily. He has only average straight line speed but he has excellent agility, changing direction quickly and on occasion running around guys.
Weaknesses:
Ability to find the footy outside the contest - At this stage Hopper lacks ability outside contested situations as really an inside only type who also can play forward of centre. Hopper as an example may get 18 disposals in a game, of which 14 are contested possessions. And the next game he may get 21 disposals of which 12 are contested possessions. Hopper given his excellent endurance should be able to find more of the footy outside the contest more easily, but at this stage he does not find or get to those open spaces often enough to find as much easy outside ball as he should be able to or offer a linkup target and those will be areas he will need to grow in, to develop a more complete game.
Ability to do damage in general play – Forward of centre Hopper is damaging and loves a goal, more often than not looking to hit the scoreboard when in range. But when he isn’t inside the forward 50 and it’s a largely uncontested game, Hopper does not find much of it, and when he does, he doesn’t do a great deal of damage as more someone who has great composure inside the contest, but then with ball in hand after a mark or free kick only does average damage. He isn’t a linebreaking threat and is only an ok-good kick to a target. So he lacks that outside weapon at this stage or that ability in general play to do damage.
Summary: Hopper projects to become a 250 gamer who from season one can play on the ball through the midfield. Hopper has the ability to be the best pure inside midfielder in this draft, with his contested ball winning ability and clearance winning ability the best in this draft and what will make him an excellent pro who can be a number one or two option through the midfielder for a team. Hopper can contribute in season one at AFL level as soon as an opportunity presents and also has the ability by season’s end to become a regular for a team.



2. Clayton Oliver (VIC – MID)
Height: 187cm, Weight: 86kg, DOB: 22/07/1997
Recruited from: Murray Bushrangers
Reminds me of: Oliver Wines
Best position/role: Midfield – on the ball.
Strengths:
Stoppage work – Oliver has excellent ability to win first possession, reading the ruck taps well and being in the right positions to get it. He enjoys from gaining first possession to kick long with a quick kick into the forward 50m to gain territory and on occasion hit a target when possible. In close he has clean hands. Wins the ground ball, can feed it out by hand to targets.
Contested ball winning ability – Oliver is a dominant contested ball winner and that should translate well to AFL play. He has the hardness at the ball, cleanness at ground level but then the size and strength over the ball to win the footy in close.
Tackling ability – Oliver is a strong tackler. He records high tackle numbers most games but critically his tackles stick and he really buries guys in tackles and attacks them with real ferocity.
Aggression – Oliver has a real aggression to him. When he bumps you, tackles you or charges at the ball with the intent to win it, he is going in hard and you’ll feel it. He’ll willingly hurt guys going after the ball. It’s just the way he is.
Scoreboard impact – Averaged more than a goal a game through the TAC Cup season (20 goals from 16 games) while playing primarily on the ball. Oliver is most comfortable and by far and away best utilised through the midfield but does have the ability as required to push into the front half.
Clean hands – Oliver has clean hands both below the knees and overhead.
Ball use/decision making – Oliver in traffic makes quick but good decisions by both hand and foot is a uses it cleanly. By hand and foot he also hits his targets consistently.
Rate of improvement – Oliver has been a big improver this season. He started the season slowly through the first half due to a limited preseason and he wasn’t selected to play for Vic Country through the U18 Championships. Things changed through the second half of the season where he was dominant through the midfield for Murray and showed continued improvement from game to game.
Questionmarks:
Versatility – Oliver projects as a pure onballer. I’ve at times liked the signs he has shown up forward and also at times pushing back for some intercept marks through the second week of finals he also showed some signs that he could also push behind the ball. I’m just anticipating at AFL level that he will be best used as a pure onballer with that relatively speaking where his points of difference suggest he will at AFL level be able to play his strongest football. It’s possible he becomes a multi-positional player but my feel despite the signs of possibly being able to play other positions is that he remains a pure onballer.
Athleticism – Oliver for an inside player is an above average athlete who in game has a nice sidestep, has a small burst of speed and gets from contest to contest, and also from a testing perspective has impressed with good agility, speed and endurance testing scores.
Weaknesses:
Ability to find much outside ball – Oliver is very much an inside player through the midfield and at this stage while he finds some outside ball, he has a relatively high contested to uncontested possession rate and will need to in time work to improve that outside balance to his game.
Summary:
Oliver looks set to become one of the best and hardest onballers to come out of this draft and looks set to have a strong 250 game career. He can play as soon as season one and I anticipate will continue his strong improvement from this season.



3. Jacob Weitering (VIC – KPD)
Height: 195cm, Weight: 90kg, DOB: 23/11/1997
Recruited from: Dandenong Stingrays
Reminds me of: Ben Reid (2010/2011 key defence version)
Best position/role: Rebounding Centre Half Back.
Strengths:
Ability to read the flight – Weitering reads the flight as well as any key defender in the u18s. He reads the flight early which allows him to at times leave his direct opponent for intercept marks and in 1v1 contests to get to the drop of the ball to be in best position to either take the 1v1 mark or get the spoil.
Intercept marking ability – Weitering is an excellent intercept mark and it comes from his ability to read the flight as well as his strong hands overhead. He takes numerous intercept marks each game be it from leaving his direct opponent for the mark or in 1v1 contests.
1v1 marking ability – In 1v1 contests Weitering generally reads the flight earlier than his direct opponent and outpoints his direct opponent through superior ability to read the flight, superior body positioning in the contest and superior body on body strength.
1v1 ability – Weitering in 1v1 contests has a good feel for when he can take the intercept mark and when he needs to get the spoil in and generally makes the right decisions as to what he needs to do in the given situation.
Footskills – Weitering is an excellent kick for a key position player. He has a penetrating 60m kick on him and has the ability to consistently hit targets up the field over long or short distances. He demonstrates excellent vision finding good targets up the field and then will go on an execute the kick to a target kicking it out in front for his team mates to lead onto. His kicking efficiency also is excellent suggesting that he has the reliability to go with the hurt-factor.
Versatility – Weitering while he is a natural centre half back can also play very good football off a back flank and even up on a wing with a skillset and running ability that has enabled him to have success in these roles in seasons past before settling into a key defence post. Weitering has also demonstrated when required that he can play as a key forward showing clean hands overhead, ability on the lead and cleanness at ground level and strong ability to pressure and tackle.
Proven performances v men – Weitering has had succeeded against AFL talent in Majak Daw and Matthew Watson who are both big boys, showing that he can hold his own physically, so given that you can pick Weitering with confidence knowing that he can handle the bigger bodies and already hold his own. As such he may be able to come into a team possibly as early as year one, and if not then most likely year two and start to have an impact then.
Ability to compete against the big key forwards – Weitering given his success v Majak Daw and Matthew Watson has shown that clearly he has the ability to compete against big, strong, physical marking forwards, as a key defender who can hold his position in the contest and hold his own without being intimidated by his opponent’s size and strength.
Late bloomer – Having grown from 177cm at u15 level, Weitering has shot up significantly in years since to grow into a genuine key position size player. Historically player who shoot up relatively later like this have substantially greater scope to improve with Patrick Cripps and Marcus Bontempelli two recent examples of this, and understanding this, I’m anticipating substantial improvement to still come from Weitering.
Shutdown ability – Weitering is a very good stopper. He has the strength to play against men now 1v1. He is capable at ground level and has the endurance to run with guys around the ground. He can take his 1v1 marks but at the appropriate times will look to get the spoil in, knowing his limitations.
Balance between offense and defence – Weitering is someone who can do it on both sides of the ball. He can beat his direct opponent 1v1 and go with them around the ground, but then also has the ability to peel off his opponent at the right times, take the intercept mark and provide some meaningful rebound by foot.
Athleticism – Weitering is an excellent athlete for a key position player. He has excellent endurance for a key position player. His leaping ability is excellent. His agility and repeat speed both very good for a tall.
Questionmarks:
Loose checking defensively – Weitering down back certainly at least for Dandenong in their zone will often lose track of his opponent and respond too slowly to their leads. At AFL level he will be required to play a more accountable game which is an adjustment he can make given his ability.
Summary: Weitering projects to become a 250 game key defender and multiple times All Australian Centre Half Back. He has the ability to develop into one of the best key defenders in the competition if things go right with the completeness, dominance and rapid development he is demonstrating. Weitering from season one can step into a back half and contribute and will only continue his rapid footballing growth with further games.

 

[Knightmare]

4. Callum Mills (NSW - SYDNEY ACADEMY – MID)
Height: 188cm, Weight: 78kg, DOB: 04/02/1997
Recruited from: Sydney Swans
Reminds me of: David Mundy
Best position/role: Midfield – on the ball.
Strengths:
The hard stuff – Excellent contested ball winner, strong tackler and very good clearance winner. He gives the second and third efforts and demonstrates good activity, consistently involving himself in little ways around the ball.
Ability in traffic – Not only can Mills win the contested ball but critically he has the composure and some evasive tricks allowing him to avoid tackles at times in traffic.
Hands in close – Mills rarely fumbles ground balls and is a one touch player. His work by hand is very impressive with the speed with which he can deliver handballs on target. Mentally he seems to operate quicker than everyone else on the field often delivering handballs as soon as he gets it. He also has the ability by hand to deliver passes quickly and on target when under pressure or getting tackled.
Ability to read the flight – Mills in general play can pick and choose his times to get behind the ball, and when he does he shows excellent ability to read the flight and get to the drop of the ball and take intercept marks.
Marking ability - Overhead Mills has strong hands and has demonstrated the ability to take marks at the highest point be it leading up to the ball or in the air. He is a one grab, consistent, clean mark overhead.
Leadership ability/character – Leadership ability highlighted by his captaining of the U16 NSW/ACT squad. Reports regarding his character are positive with suggestions that he is a student of the game and puts in the work on the track.
Production – There is no disputing Mills’ production. Through the 2014 season he dominated during the U18 Champs as well as the NEAFL and TAC Cup seasons and has the numbers in all competitions to back up his case as consistently one of the top performers in all competitions he has competed in.
Questionmarks:
Versatility – Mills at this stage is a proven midfielder but has yet to in any of the games I have seen demonstrate that he is a multi-positional player. Perhaps he could learn to play in the back half given he reads the flight well. Or perhaps he learns to play forward given the strength of his marking ability. But until then his versatility is something I’m waiting for him to prove to me before I regard him as someone I’d be comfortable playing in other positions as well as just on the ball. If he was an elite athlete and was an above average or better kick, I wouldn’t have this question, but given the nature of his game, his versatility is something he will have to prove to me before I put a tick next to this box.
Scoreboard impact – Scoreboard impact is something Mills has the scope to improve and while he has kicked some goals over the course of last season, I’d like to see him get closer to that goal a game mark in the future to add that string to his bow.
Athleticism – Mills’ athleticism is average overall. His endurance is good and he will get to every contest and cover the ground pretty well. His agility and leap both fine. But his pace is while not poor none the less below average and is not a threat to break the lines or provide any meaningful outside run and carry at this stage.
Weaknesses:
Footskills - Footskills by AFL standards are below average. Mills is someone who can land his kicks in the general region of his targets but isn’t so skilled that he’ll kick it out in front of targets or to a players advantage with his kicks or hit his targets lace out. He can on occasion also shank some kicks by foot. Though I get the sense given he has not played AFL all his life that his footskills can improve at least beyond the level its currently at.
Summary:
Mills projects to become a 250 gamer who can play from season one and become one of the better midfielders in this draft with his ability to find and win the footy in bunches. Mills has the ability to play from round one, season one, and become a regular best 22 player from the get go if the opportunities are there.



5. Joshua Schache (VIC – KPF)
Height: 199cm, Weight: 96kg, DOB: 21/08/1997
Recruited from: Murray Bushrangers
Reminds me of: A less dominant Tom Lynch (Gold Coast version)/a taller, better Jay Schulz
Best position/role: Centre Half Forward with ability to play Full Forward.
Strength:
Footskills – Schache is an excellent kick of the footy. He has 50-55m of penetration but critically is a precision kick over all distances. In front of goal Schache is reliable whether he is attempting set shots or shots at goal from general play. He consistently hits his targets around the ground over a variety of distances. He has composure with ball in hand consistently making the right decisions. He lowers his eyes and at the right times and is unselfish and will hit the targets inside 50 in better positions to more easily convert. Schache overall has the ability to become one of the best general kicking big men in the game.
Vision – Schache does well to spot meaningful targets up the field or inside 50 and has the footskills to execute these kicks. He demonstrates at times an unselfishness to his game and will consistently lower his eyes and find short – medium distance targets rather than just kick long for the sake of kicking long, in order to find a meaningful target.
Decision making – Schache makes good decisions with ball in hand. He will take his time with ball in hand, make the right decision, and execute by hand or foot to his target.
Set shot goalkicking – Schache is an ultra-reliable set shot goalkicker and can be relied on in front of goal to consistently convert. He can convert consistently from a variety of distances, variety of angles and has for him what is a reliable set shot routine.
Endurance – Schache is only an average athlete by position, but where his real strength lies athletically is in his endurance. Schache is an excellent endurance running key forward and covers the ground as well as any key forward in this draft over the course of four quarters. He will go on his leads up the ground, and will work opposition key defenders over with his endurance superiority.
Marking ability – Schache is a strong mark overhead. He marks near the highest point consistently and is a one grab mark overhead. He can be at times a threatening contested mark but also will take his share of marks on the lead, and he shows a willingness at times to lead up as far as a wing to get some marks. If required Schache can push back into the back half to take intercept marks with his ability to read the flight also excellent.
Contested marking – Schache is not a dominant but still capable if not good contested mark. He can win some 1v1 marking contests and take some strong pack marks. In 1v1 contests he demonstrates excellent ability to read the flight and uses his body well in the contest to take 1v1 marks. Similarly in pack situations Schache is aided by his superior ability to read and get to the drop of the ball for best position, and has the height and strength of marking overhead to take the grab. Overall as a marking thread I consider Schache more finesse than power stylistically, though still effective.
Ability to read the flight – Schache reads the flight of the ball very well. He gets to the drop of the ball consistently and rarely if ever caught out of position in a marking contest. He also while he does not usually play in defence, also has the ability behind the play to take intercept marks.
Ground level ability – Schache has excellent co-ordination below his knees for a key forward. He picks the ball up relatively cleanly off the deck and does not normally fumble when collecting the ground balls. So he is more than just a marking forward and has the blend of marking and ground level ability.
Ability to keep his feet – Schache has a real balance to him and in the contest he consistently keeps his feet and rarely goes to ground which makes him a real threat when the ball hits the deck and he only has the one defender to beat, with his strength and ability to win the ground ball.
Size and strength – Schache is a tall key forward and also has good size and strength to him for his age. He has good strength through the legs for his age to stand up in 1v1 contests and in pack situations he has reasonably good strength overhead but also excellent bodywork to allow him to take his share of contested marks with regularity. Schache has small looking arms and small shoulders which may mean that he does not develop into a beast of a contested marking target, but he should still be more than strong enough to have an impact.
Ability to play multiple positions – Schache while best suited as a key forward also has the ability to be a plausible relief ruckman at AFL level. His limitation through the ruck is a lack of leaping ability or that real towering strength so he won’t win many hitouts but he covers the ground well and has an excellent skillset and could push forward or back and take a mark so as a relief ruckman given his height he would also be sufficient in that role. He also has the attributes to become a very good key defender and swing back if required because he reads the flight so well and as a result with his marking ability can take intercept marks, so if the situation requires it, that’s something he can certainly do if required. Through the ruck though I feel Schache will struggle at AFL level, he isn’t 200cm+ or a particularly good leaper. He has the endurance so as a ruckman he could find the ball around the ground and he could certainly push forward or back and take some marks, and probably follow up reasonably well at ground level and win some ground ball at times, making good decisions when he does win it, but none the less it’s not something I’d be personally comfortable with, and something I hope he isn’t pushed into doing as someone who certainly looks best suited as a forward.
Questionmarks:
Athleticism – Schache is only an average athlete overall. His endurance is an excellent by position. Outside of endurance, Schache has good agility by position as a fluid mover for someone at his height and is able to change directions fine which are further positives. Schache is not extremely explosive over shorter distances though he can at times create separation on the lead due to his sheer work rate and working his guys over. Additionally his leaping ability although he is able to leap and take marks, his limited leaping ability will to some extent limit him slightly in terms of marking ability in the air but more so from the standpoint that it will likely limit his ability to play minutes through the ruck, not that I’d necessarily want to see him in the ruck anyway with Schache a natural key forward.
Weaknesses:
Tackling and pressure game – The relative weakness with Schache is in his tackling and pressure game. His tackle per game numbers are low, and his chasing and tackling effort by position are below average and will require further growth and should be much better for someone with his motor.
Dominance – Schache while he is good at a lot of things and a particularly impressive kick with excellent height but he doesn’t have one point of difference that makes me see him as an out and out star, and other than through the u18 championships where Schache played some really impressive footy, the rest of his season was good without being great and given this he most probably will only be a very good but not great key forward.
Summary:
Schache has the ability to be a 200 gamer and has the ability to develop into one of the better young key forwards in the game if things go right. Schache I expect will take a few seasons to develop and likely around season three or four come into his own and be a key piece to build around.




6. Ben Keays (QLD – BRISBANE ACADEMY – MID/FWD)
Height: 183cm, Weight: 78kg, DOB: 23/02/1997
Recruited from: Brisbane LionsPlayer Comparison: A less dominant Robbie Gray.
Best position/role: Rotational midfielder (inside leaning)/forward.
Strengths:
Marking ability – Keays has strong hands overhead and is a genuine marking threat forward of centre which is a terrific weapon for a midfielder and greatly increases his versatility. He can take 1v1 marks, marks on the lead and also marks in the air. He takes his marks overhead and takes his marks one grab. Also with body contact or bodies crashing into him he has the ability to take his marks cleanly.
1v1 ability – Keays in the 1v1 contest has excellent strength and against similar sized opponents consistently through superiority of body work and strength overhead outpoints his opponents.
Scoreboard impact - Keays is an excellent finisher from general play and set shots, and loves a goal, hitting the scoreboard with frequency and accurately whether he is playing through the midfield or in the front half.
Decision making ability – Keays consistently chooses the correct options be it in general play or after a mark/free kick. He has composure and takes the time to assess his options, does not rush, and picks out a high percentage target by both hand and foot.
Vision – Keays demonstrates excellent vision consistently lowering his eyes and finding the best and open targets inside 50 and up the field.
Ball use – Keays is a highly efficient user of the footy as demonstrated by his 81.43% disposal efficiency through the 2014 u18 championships. By hand he is reliable and by foot over short, medium and long distances also hits his targets, kicking it out in front of his targets or to the space for them to lead onto easily. Keays has good hurt factor and a 50-55m kick on him.
Contested ball winning ability and work at stoppages – Keays is an excellent contested ball winner and manages consistently high contested possession numbers. He also is a threat at stoppages and will get his share of meaningful clearances where he not only gets the clearance be it by winning first possession himself or receiving, but also can find targets by foot up the field with his kicks, taking his time with ball in hand to find a meaningful target, and can hit his targets in this situations at a good frequency.
Running ability – Keays is an exceptional endurance runner. He runs a 15+ beep and runs all day out on the field. He also has excellent agility and uses his agility well in game demonstrating a quick first step and excellent side to side movement particularly impressing.
Inside/outside balance – Keays has ability both inside and outside the contest. As an inside midfielder Keays can win the contested ball, tackles strongly and can also win the clearances. He uses the ball reasonably well under pressure and by hand and foot can execute. Then outside the contest Keays can also find the footy, take a mark around the ground and also hits his targets with consistency and have an impact. Keays is slightly better suited in my view as an inside player it is unusual that a junior has such a well balanced combination of an inside/outside game, so that is a big advantage with Keays.
Production – Keays is already a proven performer finishing the 2014 and 2015 U18 Championships as an All Australian, proving that he can find the footy in bunches, take a grab and hit the scoreboard.
Defensive side of his game – Keays while he is exceptionally damaging offensively also has a great balance of offense and defence to his game. Keays is a strong tackler and gives good tackling and pressuring effort and will also provide good two way running and push back and help out the defence at opportune times.
Weaknesses:
Ability v strong teams – Keays I have found against inferior opposition tears them to shreds, but against stronger teams while he still will perform strongly, he doesn’t dominate to the same extent. So finding that next level to his game against better competition will be one of the elements Keays will need to work on and find a way to improve.
One sided – Keays at this point seems a left footer only and unwilling to use his right foot in the games I have seen. That ability to use both sides or at least use his right side when he needs to is something Keays would benefit from building into his game. In saying that he has so much time and composure, and is so great with his ball use on his left, it’s not going to make much of a difference, with so few players today duel sided anyway.
Summary:
Keays projects to become a 200 gamer who can play from season one and has the ability to be the most damaging midfielder in this draft with his class and ability to hit the scoreboard. Keays has the ability to play regular senior games from season one if the opportunity presents.

 

[Knightmare]

7. Matthew Kennedy (NSW - GWS ACADEMY – MID/FWD)
Height: 187cm, Weight: 84kg, DOB: 06/04/1997
Recruited from: Collingullie GP
Range: 1st - 2nd round
Reminds me of: A substantially less dominant Nat Fyfe
Best position/role: Midfield – on the ball.
Strengths:
Contested ball winning ability – Kennedy is a strong contested ball winner and goes in hard at the footy, using his big body to advantage.
Composure with ball in hand – Kennedy with ball in hand has excellent composure, just not rushing and taking his time before moving on the ball.
Contested marking ability – Kennedy has strong hands overhead and is a reliable mark around the ground and also is a marking threat forward of centre who can take 1v1 and pack marks at times.
Tackling ability – Kennedy is a strong, hard tackler and provides excellent tackling pressure, with a technically sound and strong tackling ability to go with it.
Rate of improvement – Kennedy has improved rapidly, coming from not being on my radar last year to being one of the standout talents in this draft with his early season form and game to game improvement.
Running ability and work rate – While I don’t have any of Kennedy’s testing results I’d imagine he would test reasonable well overall, with his strength more towards endurance running as someone who covers the ground well. He also critically works both ways and provides good two way run.
Scoreboard impact – Kennedy from his five TAC Cup games, while playing mostly through the midfield has kicked six goals which suggests that scoreboard impact is something that he may be able to offer at the next level.
Weaknesses:
Footskills – Kennedy despite his composure in traffic still by foot is developing consistency.
Outside balance – At this stage Kennedy is a strong contested ball winner who is excellent at stoppages but at this stage lacks the weapons or ability on the outside to do any damage or do something constructive with ball in hand, with that lack of consistency by foot particularly hurting him here.
Summary:
Kennedy projects to become a 200 gamer who can have a strong career on the ball and on occasion pushing forward. He likely will take time to develop but by season two has enough talent to push for regular senior opportunities as a big bodied midfielder.



8. Eric Hipwood (QLD – BRISBANE ACADEMY - KPP)
Height: 200cm, Weight: 82kg, DOB: 13/09/1997
Recruited from: Caloundra
Reminds me of: Jake Carlisle
Best position/role: Centre half back.
Strengths:
Rapid rate of improvement – Hipwood has these past 12 months improved rapidly. He is continuing to grow (vertically) and his game is similarly continuing to improve at a rapid rate, as someone who seemingly is improving with each game. And with key position players, a big part of the equation is rate of improvement, and Hipwood is improving as rapidly as any tall from this draft class.
Production – Hipwood through the u18 championships managed midfield-like numbers with big disposal numbers, excellent mark per game numbers, and strong scoreboard impact when used forward. So for production, Hipwood well and truly ticks the boxes.
Ability to read the flight – Hipwood consistently reads the flight of the ball early and gets to the drop of the ball to be in best position to take the mark.
Intercept marking ability – Hipwood down back shows a real willingness, picking his times well to leave his man. As soon as he sees the ball in flight, he reads it early, gets to the drop of the ball, and will look more often than not to get under the ball and take the intercept mark. It’s just what comes natural to him, and is what down back makes him so effective.
Marking ability – Hipwood critically in addition to being 200cm and still growing, and having long arms, also takes his marks at the highest point in the most part. At times he can drop some marks overhead, but he will almost always get his hands to it, and also takes his fair share of marks at the highest point. His arms are long leavers, and add all this to the fact that he consistently gets to the drop of the ball first and Hipwood is a big time marking threat, forward or back. And his numbers back it up with no less than seven marks in his three u18 championship games where he played both back and forward performing strongly at both ends.
Contested marking ability – Hipwood with his long arms and superior ability to read the drop of the ball has shown that he can take some pack marks, just by getting to the drop of putting his longs arms up. He has strong hands overhead and with all these elements features of his game, he is a genuine contested marking threat, even with a still light frame, with his contested marking numbers also good with two contested marks in each of his three u18 championship games.
Versatility – Hipwood is able to play both as a key defender or key forward to a strong standard and offers a legitimate long term option at either end.
Endurance and movement – Hipwood at 200cm is an excellent mover. He has excellent endurance and covers a lot of ground each game for a key position player and also has good agility for a big man and pretty good pace.
Ground level ability – Hipwood at ground level is for a big man fairly clean with his pickups and has a good level of co-ordination below the knees for a tall.
Questionmarks:
Ability through the ruck – It’s mostly a case of something I haven’t seen, but something at his height a club probably at some point will investigate. Hipwood is a natural key position player, and that’s where he likely plays his career, but likely at one time or another he will be asked to at least play some relieving minutes through the ruck. Hipwood is tall and long which will work in his favour. Able at ground level, will tackle and pressure to an ok standard and can certainly cover the ground well and spread from stoppages. Just with his limited leaping ability he probably won’t be getting so many hitouts, and he isn’t someone I envisage would physically offer much impact in there either.
Decision making ability – With Hipwood at times it can be a mixed bag. At times in general play he can look really composed, make great decisions and hit his targets, putting it out in front of them or do something really constructive that players his height aren’t normally able to do. At other times though he will make poor decisions. As an example: in the back 50m he may look to switch to a player who is covered, or play on from a kickout and then looking to handball to the next target. Perhaps once he learns the game more, and learns those fundamentals and cleans up his skills, he should in theory be making better decisions, but he is still not nearly there at the consistency required so it will be an area requiring addressing for Hipwood.
Athleticism and strength – Hipwood while he has excellent endurance by position and moves well I wouldn’t describe as an athletic. He isn’t a high leaper or particularly strong which limits his potential as a ruckman as it will make it hard at centre bounces for him to compete. And while he moves well, I wouldn’t describe Hipwood as a particularly explosive athlete either as more someone who is covering the ground well more so than moving explosively. As Hipwood has grown relatively later and is still growing into his body, I suspect athletically and certainly physically there is still growth ahead in Hipwood, so while athleticism and strength are not areas of strength at this stage, Hipwood due to the nature of his body as someone who is still growing, I anticipate continues athletically and for strength to improve at, at least an above average rate.
Weaknesses:
Footskills – Hipwood by foot requires work. At times he will display good vision and put some kicks out in front of the leading player to run into or hit some inside 50m targets. But generally speaking, over short, medium and long distances Hipwood will regularly shank the ball or miss targets. Similarly when taking set shots on goal or kicks in general play on goal, Hipwood can at times kick some freakish goals, but similarly as with his field kicking to targets, he lacks that consistency and reliability on his kicking.
Work by hand – Hipwood by hand also has at times shown that he can miss some easy targets that he should be hitting, and just requires that consistency and reliability by hand.
Summary:
Hipwood has the opportunity with 3-4 years developing and once he puts some size onto his frame to develop into a 150 gamer and one of the more dominant talls in this draft class. Hipwood likely at the next level as he has in the u18 will take lots of marks and find lots of the ball, whether he plays back or forward.



9. Aaron Francis (SA – UTIL)
Height: 190cm, Weight: 86kg, DOB: 10/08/1997
Recruited from: West Adelaide
Reminds me of: A much more inconsistent Brendon Goddard without the midfield ability
Best position/role: HBF with the ability to also have an impact forward of centre.
Strength:
Footskills – Francis by foot is elite. He has penetration of 55-60m. And over any distance he can deliver a pass accurately, or finish in front of goal is it from a set shot or general play. Francis with his penetration has the ability to easily kick long with accuracy and kick it 55m to a target looks simple and routine for him. Francis has the ability to deliver low, quick through the air passes, hitting the intended target or get more air on his kicks as required.
Vision – Francis has excellent vision and can find targets long up the field, and the best targets up the field at that. He can also finds players in the loose spaces in more congested areas and hits them lace out so while he has the vision he also has the execution.
Decision making ability – Francis makes excellent decisions with ball in hand. He often will elect to go to the more damaging option but none the less he still when he does will more often than not hit his intended target.
Physical presence/physicality – Francis has a real physical presence to him and plays a very physical and in your face brand of football. Francis tackles aggressively. He’ll bump and crash into players around the ground. Fend off with don’t argues. After a goal or a big mark he’ll let you know about it. And any time someone gets physical with him he’ll get more physical with them. So he is a real intimidator who will not be intimidated himself.
Intercept marking ability and ability to read the flight – Francis is the elite intercept mark in this draft. And it all starts with his superior ability to read the flight of the ball. This allows him to intercept mark after intercept mark down back and also aids him greatly with his ability to take marks in the air and in the 1v1 contests. He reads the flight of the ball early and consistently gets to the drop of the ball and has the willingness to leave his man down back to take the intercept marks.
Marking ability – Francis is a strong mark overhead and takes his marks consistently one grab and he has the ability to take it at or near the highest point. He has the ability to take a mark on the lead. But his real strength starts with his ability to take intercept marks firstly. In the air he is an exceptional mark and can utilise his incredible leaping ability at times. In the 1v1 marking contests he also has the strength to out-position or out-body his opponent for the mark and is also a genuine contested marking threat.
Contested marking ability – Francis has excellent contested marking numbers by position and is strong in the 1v1 contests with his strength and ability to out-position or out-body his opponents and at times he also has the ability to take pack grabs thanks to his strong hands and superior ability to read the drop of the ball.
1v1 ability – Francis has a strong 1v1 game. In the contest he holds his position well and has the ability to take some strong 1v1 marks. When the ball hits the ground Francis also has the ability to outpoint his opponent by either bumping or pushing them in the side in order to win 50/50 ball.
Scoreboard impact – Francis has the ability to hit the scoreboard in a hurry when used forward of centre. He is strong overhead with his relative strengths overhead being not only his superior ability to read the flight, but also his ability to take a grab in the air as well as in the 1v1 contest. Francis at ground level is also good for someone his height and in general play will often physically outpoint others around the ball to enable him to get clean possession. Francis is also an exceptional finisher both from general play and from set shots.
Versatility – Francis has the ability to play back or forward already to a high level. There are also some signs that he could push up into the midfield or perhaps with his athleticism and footskills onto a wing. With Francis particularly back or forward, he exerts his influence and finds a way to do something meaningful towards winning which is one better than just being able to play a secondary position.
Athleticism – Francis is a very high level athlete. He has excellent agility, and not just for someone his height, but generally his agility and movement are both terrific. He has very good pace. He is an excellent leaper. And his endurance is also good. Critically Francis over recent years has improved in each athletic category which is a great sign of further upside to his game.
Rate of improvement – Aaron Francis has developed at a very strong rate in recent years. He has developed physically, athletically and most critically developed as a footballer in terms of his on field level of performance. I anticipate with Francis’ rate of improvement will continue (ongoing) in years to come at a high rate allowing him to develop into one of the most if not the more influential utilities in the competition.
Performances against men – Francis has performed and performed exceptionally well against men at SANFL League level. Given this it appears that Francis has the ability to play at AFL level early season one. And do so to a strong standard from the get go with already a very advanced game looking likely to hold up well at AFL level with his skills, intercept marking and physicality all highly transferrable skills to AFL standard play.
Questionmarks:
Ability through the midfield – At this stage Francis is someone who can exert his influence on games back or forward, but through the midfield he has yet to develop that same game changing ability and it remains to be seen whether he can at AFL level develop the ability to play through the midfield. He has the size and skillset that suggest he can develop the ability to play through the midfield, and on the occasions when he has received some midfield minutes he has shown that he can at times win some clearances. But we just haven’t seen enough of it and when used through the midfield he has not shown that same level of dominance he shows elsewhere to suggest the midfield is where he likely will play his best footy in the future, with the most likely outcome being that Francis is more a back/forward rather than a midfielder.
Weaknesses:
Inconsistency – Lack of consistency is the big issue. He can play but he has his games where he takes over with his influence, physical presence and impact, then other games where he doesn’t find as much of the ball and he doesn’t offer that same influence on games. The big key for Francis given this will be reducing that difference between his best and worst games with his games at SANFL League level also quieter than I’d have liked given his talent.
Summary:
Francis if things go right has the opportunity to develop into one of the better utilities in this draft and has the ability to play 150 games back or forward at the next level if he can improve his inconsistency.

 

[Knightmare]

10. Mitchell Hibberd (TAS – DEF/MID)
Height: 191cm, Weight: 85kg, DOB: 23/09/1996
Recruited from: Clarence
Reminds me of: Poor man’s Brendon Goddard
Best position/role: Half back flank/wing.
Strengths:
Footskills – Hibberd has a long 60m kick on him. He has excellent hurt factor on his kicks and from general play or from free kicks/marks he hits his targets consistently over a variety of distances.
Vision – Hibberd with ball in hand takes his time, assesses his options and in doing that can spot some damaging targets up the field and hits them lace out, making the difficult look easy.
Athleticism and physical profile – Hibberd is 190cm+, has good strength and a solid physical presence to him. He is an excellent athlete. Hibberd shows a willingness with ball in hand to take on the game with run and carry. He is a very good leaper and able to take a strong mark in the air. He also has very good endurance and covers the ground well.
Marking ability/ability to read the flight – Hibberd is strong overhead and a marking threat in the air. Behind the play he is also an excellent intercept mark with his ability to read the flight very good.
Versatility – Hibberd has the ability to play multiple positions. He can play on a back flank or wing. He can push onto the ball. He could play on a forward flank if required. He is someone who in different positions can have an impact on the game.
Inside/outside balance – Hibberd has a good balance between inside/outside ability. He is probably more someone you would play on the outside as that is where he does most of his damage. But in saying that he also has the ability to win the contested ball and consistently goes when it is his turn.
Production – Hibberd has produced strong numbers in all competitions he has participated in.
Rate of improvement – Hibberd despite missing lots of time over the years has when on the field demonstrated a strong rate of improvement from year to year. Given this strong rate of improvement it is reasonable to expect that there is a substantial amount of improvement left in Hibberd, and further room for his game to develop.
Questionmarks:
Injury history – Hibberd has missed substantial time in recent years with knee and shoulder injuries.
Weaknesses:
Can try to do too much/disposal efficiency/decision making ability – Hibberd at times can try to do too much with ball in hand and this can mean a disposal and kicking efficiency lower than ideally he should have and can make some poor decisions with ball in hand, particularly when pressured so they’ll be the primary areas Hibberd will need to clean up to have a successful career at the next level.
Summary:
Hibberd projects to become a 150 gamer who can have a strong career most likely playing on a wing or back flank if he can improve his decision making ability under pressure.



11. Kieran Collins (VIC – KPD)
Height: 193cm, Weight: 94kg, DOB: 14/12/1997
Recruited from: Dandenong Stingrays
Reminds me of: Poor man’s Brian Lake (Key defence version)
Best position/role: Full Back.
Strength:
Intercept marking – Collins this year has gone from a dour, stopper into a genuine intercept marking threat, whereby intercept marking has become his greatest strength. Collins this year has learnt to work for front position in the contest allowing him opportunities to take 1v1 marks, then when the ball is in flight he will at the right times leave his man and work to the drop of the ball to take intercept marks. Collins has strong hands overhead and also has the body strength to enable him to hold his marks v contact.
Ability to read the flight – Collins is an excellent reader of the flight, reading it early and getting to the drop of the ball which either allows him to take the intercept mark or affect the contest.
1v1 marking ability – Collins is a strong 1v1 mark, using his body and strength well and backing himself in at the right times to take the marks. Stopping ability – Collins has the ability to lock-down opposition forwards demonstrating the strength to hold his own in 1v1 contests and either take a mark or get a spoil in.
Ball use – Collins is not a flashy or damaging user of the footy, but by hand and foot he is a reliable, efficient kick who will hit his targets, not often turning over the ball.
Weaknesses:
Versatility – Collins is a natural key defender and that is what he is. He has on a small few occasions been shifted forward and he did not look comfortable at all, looking slow and not offering a particularly damaging target with defenders able to stick to him with ease.
Athleticism – Collins is overall a below average athlete. He is a strongly built guy who can win his 1v1 contests. His endurance is fine. But for pace and agility he is with his big frame a fairly slow and immobile mover who when the ball hits the deck or v quicker forwards can struggle in a foot race against.
Ground level ability – Collins tends to react slowly when the ball hits the deck and is not overly clean with his groundball pickups either.
Summary:
Collins is relatively a star or bust type where he may end up being the best key defender in this draft and one of the best by position in the game or he could be a bust and prove too slow for AFL forwards. My guess is he becomes a 150 game as a key defender who will gain a reputation as a high level intercept mark who can also beat his direct opponent. It will just most likely take him a few years to develop an AFL game and make the necessary adjustments even at his size.



12. Wayne Milera (SA –FWD/MID)
Height: 185cm, Weight: 75kg, DOB: 14/09/1997
Recruited from: Central Districts
Reminds me of: A less explosive Steven Motlop
Best position/role: Forward/rotational midfielder.
Strengths:
Performance v senior SANFL opposition – Milera impressively has demonstrated that against better and more seasoned bodied that he can have an impact. Specifically v Glenelg, Milera managed an impressive 24 disposals, nine marks and five goals which is a mighty impressive performance and gives a glimpse into what he may be able to do in the future and also had a strong finish to the season at League level which will make recruiters sit up and take notice.
Production – For such a damaging player, Milera’s numbers are overall good. Generally for high hurt factor outside types they tend to struggle to get their hands on the footy, but with Milera while he can still find the footy to a good level. I’ve also been impressed by the contested/uncontested balance to his game, Milera like most lighter bodied types finds more uncontested ball, but none the less he has still proven that he can win a reasonable balance of contested ball which is critically important for a forward and will allow him to perform reasonably consistently by position.
Footskills – Milera is an excellent user of the footy. He has a reliable kick with a high kicking efficiency and also importantly can do damage with his kicks, be it hitting targets or finishing around goal.
Decision making ability and vision – Milera is an excellent decision maker with ball in hand. He has excellent composure and a real slipperiness with ball in hand making him hard to catch. He also invariably makes the right decisions and spots good targets around the ground, and executes his passes.
Class and movement with ball in hand – Milera is quick with ball in hand and can provide some run and a burst of acceleration. He certainly when he has ball in hand has class and hurt factor to him where you know he will make something happen, he can evade tacklers at will, anticipating quickly and using his agility superbly in game and then he will go on to create some meaningful offence through his use of the ball.
Scoreboard impact – Milera has the ability to provide strong scoreboard impact at times for someone who plays more as a forward flanker/midfielder than he does a deep forward.
Inside/outside balance – Milera is a damaging player outside the contest but I’ve also appreciated what I have seen of him at stoppages. He can win the ground ball and some contested ball in his own right, but as a receiver he can do some real damage with his ability to make quick decisions and then execute, if you get it to him, he has demonstrated from stoppages that he can hit meaningful targets up the ground and inside 50m.
Versatility – Milera is most damaging on a forward flank, but he also has the ability to push up onto a wing or even through the midfield and offer another rotational option.
Weaknesses:
Linebreaking ability – Milera while his agility and evasiveness with his quickness of mind are incredibly impressive. Milera is not a linebreaker. He will take on the game and provide a burst of speed, and has excellent endurance. But he lacks that genuine straight-line pace and particularly that top speed beyond just those first few steps to be a genuine line breaking factor.
Size and strength – At this stage Milera is still reasonably light bodied and has at times been knocked off the ball. The critical thing for Milera will be getting stronger without losing any of his speed of movement and particularly his agility. If he can do that, that’s when Milera really can have a strong career at AFL level.
Defensive side to his game – At this stage while Milera can at times offer some tackling energy, he still needs to become a stronger tackler which will come with strength, as well as committing more to running back harder defensively.
Summary:
Milera on the right team has the opportunity to be a 150 gamer who does some meaningful damage up forward and through the midfield for a team.

 

[Knightmare]

13. Luke Partington (SA – MID/FWD)
Height: 182cm, Weight: 75kg, DOB: 05/03/1997
Recruited from: Port Adelaide
Reminds me of: A poor man’s Jack Steven.
Best position/role: Midfielder (outside leaning) who can rotate forward.
Strengths:
Production – Partington’s in SA in the Maccas Cup, Reserves and League levels has produced strong numbers at each level as well as through the U18 championships whereby he finds lots of the ball, uses it efficiently and also offers some scoreboard impact.
Footskills – Partington is an efficient kick of the footy over both short and long distances and consistently hits his targets by foot. He is particularly damaging in general play with his ball use with his ability to make quick decisions and hit meaningful targets up the field.
Composure – Partington has excellent composure with ball in hand and rarely feels rushed. It’s just easy for him when under pressure. He can use his pace to break away from opponents or alternatively just take his time to assess his options and execute by hand or foot without a worry in the world.
Vision and decision making ability – Partington has the vision and decision making ability to consistently find the best options whether the it is a short or long target, but then also the skill to execute the pass.
Scoreboard impact – Partington when push forward has the ability to provide some scoreboard impact and is also has shown on several occasions from around 50m from goal that he can finish.
Pace/movement – Partington overall is a very well rounded athlete with an excellent combination of pace, agility and endurance. With ball in hand Partington can use his acceleration in game to get enough space to get a clean kick away, finish on goal or to provide some run and carry. Just that run and carry given his running ability is something you’d like to see him do more often as it is something that can become a real weapon to his game.
Inside/outside balance – Partington offers an excellent inside/outside balance to his game as a good contested ball winner who also finds plenty of outside ball.
Questionmarks:
Decision making and skill execution when at full speed – Partington in generally play is consistently an excellent and composed decision maker who will execute and hit his targets. When at full speed with ball in hand though I have found on a few occasions that Partington has failed to execute, and he just needs to slow down a step before disposing of the ball to ensure he hits his desired target, and that applies by both hand and foot.
Weaknesses:
Lack of a point of different – Partington has his weapons as someone who is above average in many categories. The question with Partington is what he can be great at so as to separate himself from all the other midfielders.
Tackling and pressuring ability – Partington at this stage is not a particularly high energy tackler who applies a ton of pressure around the ball or someone who will do damage when he lays a tackle. His tackle numbers overall are below average.
Defensive running – At this stage Partington is more an offensive running player who will find the ball in bunches and do damage, without being as strong going the other way.
Summary:
Partington has the opportunity to be a 150 gamer for a club as someone who through the midfield and at times up forward can be productive and do some damage over the course of his career.



14. Darcy Parish (VIC – UTIL)
Height: 181cm, Weight: 73kg, DOB: 25/07/1997
Recruited from: Geelong Falcons
Reminds me of: A slightly better Zac Merrett
Best position/role: Midfield (outside leaning)/flanker.
Strengths:
Footskills – Parish is a very good user of the footy. He uses it efficiently and can hit his targets over short, medium and long distance. In traffic he is quick getting the ball onto his boot. He has good penetration with a 50m – 55m kick on him and can finish when within range from goal.
Vision – Parish has excellent vision finding some good targets other will often miss. When a guy is in a central position and open he’ll find them and similarly kicking into the forward 50 he finds the open man and puts it out in front of them for the easy mark.
Decision making ability – Parish is an excellent decision maker, particularly with time and space on the outside. On the outside he will find his targets up the field but also picks and chooses the right time to go to a target in the centre of the ground or go for a higher risk long target up the field.
Run and carry ability – Parish is a very good run and carry player consistently showing a real willingness when he has space in front of him to take on the game with his run. He is not freakishly fast, but has above average pace and at times will use it in game.
Versatility – Parish is a very versatile player. He is able to play both as an outside or inside to a strong standard. He can also play in the back half having spent most of the 2014 season playing off a back flank where he showed he could set up play by foot, provide some run and carry and take some intercept marks and also has the ability to push forward onto a forward flank.
Ability to read the flight – Parish reads the flight very well behind the ball, reading the flight early on a consistent basis enabling him to peel off his direct opponent for easy intercept marks. He has clean hands overhead and uncontested is a reliable mark.
Production – Parish has the performances behind him as a long time high level performer. With his performances on the board with his ability to find the footy inside and outside the contest, provide run and carry, use the footy and the read the flight of the ball, it is fair to assume that he can play as soon as round one, year one as an AFL standard performer today.
Inside/outside ability – Parish in this draft has among the better inside/outside game balances in this draft. Parish can win the contested footy to a good level and can win some clearances, but then also has the footskills, pace, composure and ability to find plenty of the outside ball.
Athleticism – Parish is not a great but certainly a very good athlete. He has excellent agility and very good pace and leaping ability. His endurance is also good. So while he is not elite in any one athletic category and it is not a point of difference for him, he none the less athletically stacks up well in each category.
Questionmarks:
Inside game – Parish has proven that he can win some contested footy and clearances this season, proving that he is able to play as an inside midfielder as required. When under pressure after winning the footy he can release the ball quickly by hand and foot, and generally do so reliably which is pleasing, and he has good contested ball winning and tackling ability. So he is able to play inside, but not so dominant that I expect that to full time be what he does at AFL level. Height/size –As a relatively smaller and shorter midfielder Parish to an extent may be limited as to just how good he can become. At 181cm he is hardly likely to get forward and take contested grabs or lead his team in contested possessions or clearances through the midfield. But it’s hardly stopping him from being a high level pro. It’s more just what probably stops him from being the absolute number one best player in this draft class.
Weaknesses:Lack of a point of difference – Parish overall is a very well rounded footballer with an excellent footskills particularly but for me he lacks that one thing that sets him apart from everyone in the competition and will make him an out and out dominant player which for me suggests he’ll be a very good, but not great player.
Contested marking ability – Parish while a clean and reliable mark overhead is not someone who will take contested grabs or 1v1 marks with frequency as evidenced by the fact that he only took one contested mark through 14 TAC Cup games last season.
Summaryarish is a low risk choice who will add precision footskills and class wherever he plays and looks set to become a very good footballer at AFL level, capable of playing 150 games.



15. Rhys Mathieson (VIC – MID/FWD)
Height: 185cm, Weight: 79kg, DOB: 10/01/1997
Recruited from: Geelong Falcons
Reminds me of: Poor man’s Dayne Beams
Best position/role: Midfield – on the ball.
Strengths:
Ability to find and win the footy – Mathieson is a high production midfielder who has shown the ability to have his 30 deposal games frequently, and has shown that he can both win the contested footy in bunches, but then also find a decent amount of ball on the outside, giving him while he is more an inside player, still a pretty reasonable inside/outside balance.
Inside game – Mathieson has greatly improved his inside game this year and made that into his by far and away his greatest strength to the extent that has one of the very best inside games in this draft. He is and has always been hard at the footy, but this year he has become a more dominant contested ball winner and much more dominant at stoppages as a dominant clearance winner who can also at times do something meaningful with his clearances, be it finding someone by hand or kicking to a target out of the clearance.
Strength/power – One element that helps Mathieson around the ball is above average strength and power. He has shown when tackled that he can at times stand up in the tackle, or at least dispose of the ball by hand effectively.
Scoreboard impact – Mathieson last season from his 14 games in the TAC Cup managed 15 goals, and this year he also as a permanent midfielder has demonstrated that he can provide scoreboard impact.
Footskills/vision/decision making – Mathieson in 2014, though he played more minutes forward which contributed, had a fairly average kicking efficiency and also lacked hurt factor. This year I feel he has improved in both categories. His kicking efficiency is fine for an inside player, but critically he is starting to do more damage. He has shown out of stoppages at times that he can quickly find and then hit long targets by foot. And in general he has also shown that he can make good decisions with ball in hand.
Marking ability – Mathieson is not dominant overhead but he is certainly a capable and clean mark overhead and able forward of centre to take some grabs, be it on the lead, in the air where he can really elevate and take a mark and on occasions in the 1v1 contest.
Versatility – Mathieson is best suited to playing on the ball but he also has proven that he can play in the front half, mostly on a forward flank and provide a reasonable marking target and offer some scoreboard impact.
Questionmarks:
Two way game – Mathieson I find at this point is more someone who will run contest to contest and provide more offensive run than he will defensive run. As his endurance improves, Mathieson will need to improve his ability to run back defensively to provide support, as that’s an area he hasn’t developed to an AFL standard just yet.
Weaknesses:
Outside hurt-factor – Mathieson while he uses the ball well in traffic, generally when given time and space on the outside does no more damage than he does with less time on the inside. He can hit his targets by foot to a reasonable level, but not with freakish penetration, and he is not breaking the game open with his run either. And as such Mathieson at the next level will be an inside player. Athleticism/endurance – Mathieson is a good leaper and a marking threat in the air and spreads well enough from the contest, but otherwise I wouldn’t describe him as overly athletic. He isn’t sub 3 seconds over 20m and isn’t going to take on the game off or break the lines, agility is only average and he doesn’t have any freakish evasive moves. Endurance has room to grow and also need to improve. But none the less he should prove a sufficient mover even though it likely will never be a strength for him.
Summary:
Mathieson projects to become a 150 gamer as a midfielder who could also rotate through the front half.

 

[Knightmare]

16. Ryan Clarke (VIC – MID/FWD)
Height: 185cm, Weight: 84kg, DOB: 17/06/1997
Recruited from: Eastern Ranges
Reminds me of: Rhys Palmer
Best position/role: Midfielder (inside leaning) who can rotate forward.
Strengths:
Workrate – Clarke’s work rate is the best in this draft. He runs all day and will run end to end, cover the ground quickly, works both ways and will get to every contest.
Pace/athleticism/endurance – Clarke is an excellent athlete overall. He runs a 3 second 20m sprint. Has excellent agility and excellent endurance with this evidenced by his 15+ beep test score, and you can really see out on the field how easily and quickly he covers the ground.
Pace/ability to take on the game – Clarke has excellent pace but even more critically excellent ability to use that pace in game. When he has the ball in hand and some space in front of him he can really provide meaningful run at speed with ball in hand.
Evasiveness – Clarke has some nice evasive moves to him and can dodge and weave tackles easily. He has excellent anticipation, and is quick on his feet, but also quick of mind. He can both in general play avoid would-be tacklers, and also at high speeds he also has the ability to turn or stop on a dime or change direction to avoid tacklers.
Scoreboard impact – Clarke has through the TAC Cup averaged more than a goal a game this season. He is an excellent finisher on goal and can kick goals from as far as 55m. He can kick highlight reel goals running through the centre and kicking long on the run from outside 50m or from the impossible positions, but then also convert from set shots.
Inside/outside balance – Clarke has a good balance between being able to win the contested ball but also being able to work into space and get the ball on the outside and provide some meaningful run and carry when the opportunity is there.
Contested ball winning ability – Clarke is a good but not dominant contested ball winner. He has a real aggression at the ball but has the ability to either be the ball winner or receiver.
Tackling pressure – Clarke provides excellent tackling pressure and some real tackling energy around the ball. He also is an excellent chase-down tackler and can provide some highlight-reel type tackles that can really lift the energy of his team.
Marking ability – Clarke is a clean and capable mark overhead. He is more someone who will take marks in space on the outside or in the forward 50 uncontested rather than contested grabs but that is fine.
Production – Clarke has achieved some excellent numbers through the TAC Cup this season. And it’s unusual for such a damaging player with his running ability to regularly achieve 30+ disposal games, and manage to average more than a goal a game.
Improvement – Also incredibly impressive with Clarke has been his rate of improvement. This year he has from round one come back to the TAC Cup a dominant footballer after having only played the one game early last season in which he was quiet.
Weaknesses:
Contested marking ability – Clarke while a clean mark overhead is not a contested marking or 1v1 marking threat.
Footskills – Clarke has a nice 55m kick on him and displays some real hurt factor by foot at times. He can hit his targets in general play and also out of stoppages has the ability to find and hit long targets up the field. He also generally makes good decisions with ball in hand and can demonstrate good vision. He can finish in front of goal. So he can do good things with ball in hand. The issue for Clarke is a lack of consistency. On the run at times he does not slow down to take his kicks which can lead to inconsistent outcomes, and even when stationary his execution just lacks that bit of consistency at this stage that would be expected at AFL level.
Summary:
Clarke has the ability to be a 150 game player at the next level as a midfielder who can provide strong production, meaningful run and some scoreboard impact through a midfield. He likely will take some time to find his feet but by season two should be pushing for a regular position but will just need to clean up his footskills to ensure he has the success his talent suggests he should otherwise be able to achieve.



17. Harley Balic (VIC – MID/FWD)
Height: 186cm, Weight: 80kg, DOB: 05/01/1997
Recruited from: Sandringham Dragons
Reminds me of: Poor man’s Jackson Macrae
Brief bio: Balic has some tricks and plays with that basketballer several other recent draftees have. Balic stands out most with his decision making ability and vision with ball in hand. He consistently chooses the right option and often finds some really damaging targets. In terms of execution while he has the vision and decision making ability by hand and foot it can be a mixed bag as sometimes he will hit his targets, and other times miss. Similarly finishing from set shots and field kicks at goal further improvement is required as he lacks consistency in front of goal. He is also more of a short-medium distance kicker as someone with only average penetration. A further strength of Balic’s is his strength of marking overhead with his leaping ability making him a threat in the air which gives him potential to play forward of centre. Athletically Balic is good overall. He is not a linebreaking threat but moves well, has strong endurance and excellent leaping ability. As a contested ball winner Balic at this stage is not a factor as someone who is a receiver at this point.



18. Thomas Cole (VIC – UTIL)
Height: 185cm, Weight: 76kg, DOB: 28/08/1997
Recruited from: Bendigo Pioneers
Reminds me of: Sharrod Wellingham
Brief bio: Cole is a high production midfielder with good versatility and some ability to do damage with ball in hand. Cole this season showed some real ability particularly in his three VFL games, featuring in the bests in two of those games. He has the ability to play inside or outside through the midfield and has a good contested/uncontested ball winning balance, he can play off a back flank or even push into the front half. Athletically Cole is above average with excellent endurance and good agility relative areas of strength for Cole, and in game he will use his running ability and look when the opportunity is there to take on the game. By foot he also when possible looks to do damage and his disposal efficiency as a result is low, so at this stage it’s mostly getting that balance right of when to go for the most damaging target, and when to go for a safer, higher percentage option. Cole with his versatility also doesn’t have a clear best position at this stage and that is something else he will need to discover at the next level.

 

[Knightmare]

19. Harry Himmelberg (NSW – GWS ACADEMY – KPF)
Height: 192cm, Weight: 84kg, DOB: 08/05/1996
Recruited from: Eastlake
Reminds me of: A poor man’s Cameron McCarthy.
Best position/role: Full forward.
Strengths: Movement – Himmelberg is a rare mover for a forward. He has the speed and ability to provide multiple efforts. But then also has the mobility and change of direction that allow him to move more easily than more key forwards.
Athleticism – Himmelberg is an excellent athlete. Most special is his leaping ability and ability to mark in the air. He also has a good speed/agility/endurance combination by position to set him apart.
Marking ability – Himmelberg is an excellent mark overhead and has strong clean hands overall. In the air is where he most stands out taking freakish aerial marks regularly. He is also a strong mark on the lead. He will dive on the ground to take a mark. He will back into a contest and get crunched if he needs to or cop a hit coming from another direction and still go for the mark.
Courage – Himmelberg displays excellent courage consistently putting his body on the line and willingly taking the hit if that’s what it will take. Particularly in marking situations his courage is obvious, often seeming like he has no regard for his own safety.
Tackling and pressuing – Himmelberg is a willing tackler in the front half and will really apply the pressure inside the forward 50m. He will give the second and third efforts and displays a high level of effort when the opposition team has the ball.
Ability below the knees – Himmelberg has good co-ordination below his knees and that with his good movement allows him to be a threat when the ball hits the ground.
Rate of improvement – Himmelberg has been a strong improver this year and has gone from strength to strength with a strong showing through the U18 Championships and then going on to be the best on ground performer in the AFL Grand Final curtain raiser, also in that game showing much improved kicking and set shot goalkicking ability relatively to what he was showing through the middle portion of the season.
Questionmarks:
Versatility – Himmelberg is an excellent key forward but having only seen him play in the front half it is unclear whether he has the versatility to play any other positions. Just given how effective he is as a forward that surely is where he will play his career. But for those unsure about his height/size for a key forward, that may in the eyes of some detract from his relative value.
Weaknesses:
Footskills – Himmelberg by foot is still developing. He has relatively good composure when under pressure but just the consistency of his execution by foot is the problem and something that will require further work.
Set shot goalkicking – Himmelberg is still developing a reliable set shot goalkicking routine. His set shot goalkicking was poor during the U18 Championships but has since improved and looked better during the AFL Grand Final curtain raiser so while it is a relative area of weakness at the present time he can with further training develop it into a strength.
Size/strength – Himmelberg is relatively a shorter key forward and is not a particularly strongly built forward either. As such v AFL standard key defenders it is unlikely that Himmelberg will take many 1v1 marks with his marks in the front half more likely to come from athletic/acrobatic type marks instead. Summary:
Himmelberg has the opportunity to become a 150 gamer for a club looking for an athletic key forward.



20. Kieran Lovell (TAS – MID)
Height: 174cm, Weight: 80kg, DOB: 16/05/1997
Recruited from: Kingston Tigers
Reminds me of: Cory Gregson
Brief bio: Lovell is a high production, extremely athletic small midfielder with rare agility and excellent pace and endurance. Lovell will regularly burst out of traffic and run around guys easily as if they’re stationary and look to take on the game with his pace. Lovell finds high disposal numbers through the midfield and has a nice balance between contested and uncontested ball winning numbers, with his contested ball winning numbers particularly excellent, with his strong body for his age helping with this. Lovell as a ball user is generally clean but has also at times shown that he can shank some balls by foot for some awful turnovers. From a versatility standpoint I am not convinced that Lovell while he could play forward, would necessarily be as effective as he is through the midfield, as he doesn’t quite for me have that front half talent where he could offer heavy scoreboard impact or provide any particularly meaningful offense. Additionally from a tackling and pressuring standpoint while it’s something Lovell can do, it is not something he does as well as other smalls with his quickness.



21. Jade Gresham (VIC – MID)
Height: 177cm, Weight: 74kg, DOB: 24/08/1997
Recruited from: Northern Knights
Reminds me of: Lewis Taylor
Brief bio: Gresham is a high production small midfielder with a lot of ability and lots of strong performances through the TAC Cup these past two seasons for Northern. Gresham for a small strikes a good balance between finding the outside ball and winning the contested ball. His primary strength is his skillset which is clean, reliable and with a degree of creativeness showing good vision and decision making ability. In saying that with ball in hand he does look to overuse it and chip it around, kicking sideways rather than generating meaningful drive forward. Gresham is a capable finisher, showing that he can provide some scoreboard impact and he also has the cleanness and quickness at ground level so he may be able to start playing more minutes in the front half. Athletically Gresham is average and not on the level you’d expect for a small, with only average but speed, agility and endurance, and in game while he will get to every contest he is not someone who will take on the game frequently or offer meaningful run and carry. Gresham is a light bodied so while he can win his own ball he also can be pushed out of the contest which will affect his contested ball winning ability at the next level. Similarly a tackling perspective Gresham has a go but requires more strength as his tackles can be broken. As a mark, Gresham is clean overhead and takes plenty of marks around the ground but v contact and 1v1 struggles.

 

[Knightmare]

22.Sam Weideman (VIC – KPF)
Height: 196cm, Weight: 91kg, DOB: 26/06/1997
Recruited from: Eastern Ranges
Reminds me of: Josh Walker
Brief bio: Weideman captured the attention of recruiters with the promise he demonstrated through the AIS AFL Academy games through the preseason. He has through the first half of the TAC Cup season though only played reasonable but largely unimpressive football, and sat out the second half of the season and the U18 championships with injury. He has a nice physical profile with his height and size. He is an above average athlete with reasonably good pace and leaping ability without being a freak athlete. His skills also by position are reasonably good again without being incredible. He is a reasonably strong mark overhead without being dominant, sometimes misreading the flight of the ball. At ground level he is clean enough without being freakish in any way. His scoreboard impact is solid without being spectacular. Where Weideman struggles is endurance running and work rate, both of which are relatively poor at this stage. Additionally his tackling and pressuring ability requires further work.



23. Charlie Curnow (VIC – MID/KPF)
Height: 191cm, Weight: 95kg, DOB: 03/02/1997
Recruited from: Geelong Falcons
Reminds me of: Stewart Crameri
Best position/role: Rotational key forward/inside midfielder.
Strengths:
Power – Curnow has a real power to him. He is physically incredibly strongly built for his age, but then also has some explosiveness to go with it which can allow him to really impact contests.
Strength – Curnow has excellent size and strength for his age and can hold his own with anyone both in going for the contested ball and in the 1v1 contests.
Athleticism – Curnow while strong bodied is very athletic and explosive. While I don’t have any testing results, he has excellent leaping ability and also very good foot speed for a bigger body which will serve him well at the next level.
Versatility – Curnow has the ability to play a wide range of positions. He can play forward, through the midfield, with his leaping ability and strength through the TAC Cup he has played through the ruck, and he can also if required swing back if needed. So he gives you lots of options.
Contested marking ability – Curnow is a strong contested mark. He has strong hands overhead and in 1v1 contests and pack situations has the strength overhead, but also in and wrestles to take advantage of his opponents.
Midfield ability – Curnow has the scope to develop into a big bodied, contested ball winning midfielder. He has great height and size by position, but then also has a real physical edge to him and the ability to win the ground ball and clean hands that suggest that he can play through the midfield at the next level. He just needs more opportunity to play through there which at AFL level he should receive.
Questionmarks:
Production – Curnow’s numbers this season have only been good but not great, with his scoreboard impact ideally closer to three goals a game and only one double digit marking game not as much as I’d ideally like by position through the TAC Cup.
Coming off major injury – Some may be wary because Curnow is coming off a major knee injury. I myself see it more from the opportunity standpoint where his stocks will be lower than they should having missed time, then on return looking slow and immobile.
Can he get his explosiveness back? - On return from injury Curnow was purely a 1v1 marking key forward. He lost his explosiveness and mobility entirely, playing as a short power forward which will not be enough for AFL play. I give Charlie the benefit of the doubt as I feel he came back too early, and given his still young age I assume he will fully get back his explosiveness.
Is he tall enough to be a key forward at AFL level? – Curnow at 191cm is relatively short for a key forward in today’s AFL. The likes of Stringer, Gunston and Darling are having success so Curnow will need to look to those guys as to how to play forward successfully at the next level as someone in the low 190cm range, but it’s something that can be done at his height, just ideally would be taller.
Lack of a clear best position – Curnow to some extent lacks a clear best position due to being thrown around so much as a junior. Is he a tall midfielder? A key forward? A pure utility? He probably at this stage having played mostly forward looks best suited as either a key forward or 3rd tall, but he also has the scope to develop into a midfielder, with many clubs likely to consider him with the intent to develop him into a midfielder. So his future best position is somewhat open to interpretation and to be decided.
Summary:
Curnow projects in my view to be a 100 gamer as a powerful forward/midfielder.



24. Harrison McKay (VIC – KPF/RUCK)
Height: 200cm, Weight: 85kg, DOB: 24/12/1997
Recruited from: Gippsland Power
Reminds me of: Matt Taberner (without the extreme elite endurance)
Brief bio: McKay is a super athletic key forward who has at times later in the season receive some opportunities through the ruck. McKay is very athletic given he is 200cm and has very good speed and agility. He overall has a clean game with good ground level ability as someone who can pick it up cleanly. He uses the ball cleanly and reasonably reliably by hand and foot. As a marking target up forward McKay is more an athletic mark than a power mark. He can take marks on the lead and on occasions leaping marks overhead, he can take some contested marks but generally as a lighter body is only average in 1v1 contests. For scoreboard impact McKay when played permanently forward is reasonably good but not outstanding. McKay through the second half of the season played more ruck minutes and for me struggled to have any impact, losing more ruck contests than he was winning and while he covers the ground well his impact through the ruck was poor overall, with his final v Oakleigh particularly ordinary, so I would recommend McKay be developed as a forward, with no more than relief ruck minutes played.

 

[Knightmare]

25. Ryan Burton (SA – FWD)
Height: 191cm, Weight: 90kg, DOB: 31/01/1997
Recruited from: North Adelaide
Reminds me of: Sam Mayes (leadup forward version)
Brief bio: Burton is a productive leadup forward who stood out through the 2014 season until injury which has kept him out this season. He was highly productive through the u18 championships presenting as a leading target and demonstrating strong hands overhead, consistently taking his marks on the lead and also showing that he can at times leap and take some strong marks. He has proven that he is a relatively reliable finisher both from set shots and general play. Other than being a leadup forward though I ask myself what else Burton can do, and until he proves he can push up into the midfield or play some other role I struggle to see how he will be AFL relevant with medium-tall leadup forward.



26. Darcy Tucker (VIC – MID/DEF)
Height: 184cm, Weight: 78kg, DOB: 23/01/1997
Recruited from: North Ballarat Rebels
Reminds me of: Sam Docherty
Brief bio: Tucker’s weapon is his run and carry ability. Tucker is not a freakish athlete, but a very good all-round athlete with good pace, endurance and leaping ability. In game he displays good pace and can provide some good run and carry when the space is open in front of him. Tucker is a capable intercept mark and reads the flight reasonably well down back. He has had an excellent junior career and his production has been consistently strong throughout and his numbers again this year have been very good. From a skills perspective Tucker is a reliable kick but is not a penetrator and has limited hurt factor. Tucker is also very much an outside player, as someone who will stay on the outside looking to receive rather than going in and winning his own all, so as a result he will likely remain on a wing or back flank. I also overall see Tucker as a fairly low impact player per possession as someone who tends not to do enough damage with ball in hand, so unless he really develops an inside game, being on the outside he needs to add further hurt factor.



27. Daniel Rioli (NT – FWD)
Height: 179cm, Weight: 65kg, DOB: 16/04/1997
Recruited from: North Ballarat Rebels
Reminds me of: Jeff Garlett
Brief bio: Daniel is the cousin of Cyril and has talent in his own right. His numbers are below average by position with only average scoreboard impact at less than two goals a game and his disposal numbers are poor, tackle numbers up and down. The key with Daniel is the damage he does when he does have it and all the tricks he has. Rioli is freakish at ground level with his cleanness and ball control seemingly having the ball on a string and this is well complimented by his exceptional pace and agility which allow him with ball in hand do whatever he wants. His endurance testing results caught me by surprise and suggest he may be able at times to rotate into the midfield for short periods as he has the ground level ability and also very quick hands with the ability to deliver quick handballs on target. Rioli also has the balance to his game to take some athletic marks up forward at times with some ability in the air. By foot he uses the ball well but at this stage lacks penetration and as a light body he will need to put some size on his frame without losing his athleticism as he can also get knocked off the ball at times.

 

[Knightmare]

28. David Cuningham (VIC –MID)
Height: 183cm, Weight: 79kg, DOB: 30/03/1997
Recruited from: Oakleigh Chargers
Reminds me of: Jonathan O’Rourke
Brief bio: Cuningham is a mild production midfielder with some AFL relevant attributes. Cuningham has excellent sidestepping ability in traffic allow himself to create space. He also while he only sometimes uses it in games, has excellent acceleration and can really provide a meaningful burst of speed with ball in hand and can break away from stoppages. By foot his disposal efficiency is below average but he has some hurt factor to him showing good vision and ability to hit some meaningful targets. He also has some chasedown tackling ability. Cuningham is neither a contested ball winning beast nor someone who finds a lot of the ball on the outside. He can at times provide some scoreboard impact.



29. Josh Dunkley (VIC – Syd – F/S – MID)
Height: 189cm, Weight: 82kg, DOB: 09/01/1997
Recruited from: Gippsland Power
Reminds me of: Poor man’s Josh Kennedy (Sydney version)
Brief bio: Dunkley has among the more dominant inside games in this draft. He is a stoppage specialist as a tall, strong bodied midfielder with dominant contested ball winning ability and a very strong tackling game as someone who will bury guys with his tackling. He reads the ruck taps well, often gaining first possession. And is someone who will put his head over the footy and do all the hard stuff consistently. Dunkley is a strong mark overhead and can forward of centre at times prove a threat on the lead and in 1v1 contests. He also at times has shown that he can provide strong scoreboard impact and through the 2014 TAC Cup season averaged exactly a goal a game through 13 games, so while he likely will play the vast majority of his football on the ball, he may also at AFL level be able to spend some minutes in the front half as required. Where Dunkley struggles is on the outside, really lacking any ability to do damage. Dunkley is a below average athlete as a physically strong guy who lacks pace or agility. By foot Dunkley is also poor demonstrating a low kicking efficiency as well as no real hurt factor. He also is a poor decision maker with ball in hand too often passing by hand or foot to teammates who are under pressure. Dunkley has missed time this year, and also at VFL level mostly has spent time on the flanks which has been a curious and very much ineffective way to use Dunkley given his strengths.



30. Nicholas Coughlan (NSW/ACT – GWS ACADEMY - KPP)
Height: 195cm, Weight: 83kg, DOB: 12/09/1996
Recruited from: Murray Bushrangers
Reminds me of: Troy Chaplin
Brief bio: Coughlan showed some glimpses of promise up forward in 2014, but through 2015 has made the switch to the back half and has looked a much improved player. Coughlan as a key defender particularly as an intercept marking key defender has shown great promise down back with his ability to leave his direct opponent and take intercept marks and also to take some solid 1v1 marks for a still relatively lightly built tall. Coughlan is an overall good athlete with excellent leaping ability and reasonable speed, agility and endurance allowing him in the air and around the ground to stick with opponents. Regarding Coughlan’s skill he uses it cleanly and reliably without any major issues. Coughlan For strength Coughlan still needs to get stronger but has shown that in the 1v1 contests he at both TAC Cup and VFL level has been able to compete well. The big selling point with Coughlan is that he has not only dominated through the TAC Cup down back but he has also stepped up to play VFL football and has at that level also played some strong football, doing as he does in the TAC Cup.

 

[Knightmare]

31. Ben McKay (VIC – KPP)
Height: 200cm, Weight: 91kg, DOB: 24/12/1997
Recruited from: Gippsland Power
Reminds me of: Michael Apeness
Brief bio: Ben McKay is a big boy who can play at either end and take a strong contested mark. He has strong hands overhead, can take a grab at the highest point, can leap and take a mark and has excellent 1v1 strength to allow him to outbody his opponents. The weak points for McKay are his pace, agility and endurance are all poor with his general mobility in game unimpressive at this stage. His production overall is mild at this stage and consistently from game fairly poor with some games where his impact is invisible and just not felt, but with a late year birthday and having only spent part of the year in the TAC Cup system the assumption is that there is substantial scope to improve. It is also not clear as to whether McKay will develop into a key forward or key defender, and developmental visions from team to team with McKay may vary.



32. Blake Hardwick (VIC – FWD/MID)
Height: 181cm, Weight: 78kg, DOB: 05/02/1997
Recruited from: Eastern Ranges
Reminds me of: Sam Lloyd
Brief bio: Hardwick is a high volume goal kicking small forward who seems always to be in the right place at the right time and has had some big hauls this season including 12, 10 and 8 goals this season in the TAC Cup. He is very much someone with a goal first, goal second, pass third mentality, as someone who will when he senses any opportunity will go for goal himself. Hardwick is mostly a marking forward who has only average hands overhead but leads to the right spots, gets to the drop of the ball and finds the spaces left behind in the forward 50m. He isn’t a particularly gifted ground level player or a particularly outstanding pressure forward. Hardwick has only on a small few occasions pushed up the field and at the next level I imagine he will need to integrate this into his game to have an AFL career. The times he has pushed up into the midfield he has found the footy to a reasonable standard but has lacked impact with his influence moderate-low. Hardwick has a reasonable powerful build and strongish body, he has good acceleration but is not overly agile and lacks any freakishly quickness.



33. Brayden Fiorini (VIC – MID)
Height: 186cm, Weight: 75kg, DOB: 22/08/1997
Recruited from: Northern Knights
Reminds me of: Sam Gibson (without as extremely high endurance levels)
Brief bio: Fiorini is a high production, clean kicking outside player. Fiorini finds a lot of outside ball as an effective linkup player who finds the spaces on the outside and while not damaging by foot he has the cleanness and hits his targets efficiently. Athletically he has above average endurance but for speed and agility is only average and not a threat to break the lines. As a contested ball winner Fiorini can win some but still limited contested ball and as such will remain an outside player. He is a reliable and consistent accumulator so he has the opportunity to be a component to a team but as a low impact, low hurt factor outside type he isn’t a game changer.

 

[Knightmare]

34. Riley Bonner (SA – UTIL)
Height: 191cm, Weight: 80kg, DOB: 07/03/1997
Recruited from: West Adelaide
Reminds me of: Poor man’s Matthew Broadbent
Brief bio: Bonner is one of the best kicks in this draft class. He has a 60m kick on him and can kick on both sides comfortably. He displays excellent composure in general play and also show excellent vision and decision making ability which in addition to his precision but damaging footskills makes him someone you want the ball in the hands of. At times Bonner’s kicks can miss targets, sometimes trying to do too much, other times a kick may not be as pin point as it could be, but generally speaking he will do great damage and really get the ball moving meaningfully. Bonner while being best suited to playing off a back flank has versatility and can push up onto a wing or forward flank. He is at times a threat to take intercept marks reading the flight well and at times getting to the drop of the ball, but it’s not something he does at a high frequency. He also at times shows a willingness to take on the game with some run and carry but while he moves well and is a willing runner for someone 190cm+ he is not a linebreaking threat by AFL standards. Where Bonner is weakest is in his contested ball winning ability as someone who looks very much set to remain an outside type. He also is not a particularly good defensive player needing to work further on his defensive running as well as his 1v1 work down back.



35. Bailey Rice (VIC – ST KILDA F/S - DEF/MID)
Height: 184cm, Weight: 81kg, DOB: 10/02/1997
Recruited from: Dandenong Stingrays
Reminds me of: Bachar Houli (Poor man’s version)
Brief bio: Rice is a clean kicking back flanker who is very productive and a highly efficient kick of the footy. By foot Rice has above average penetration and demonstrates good vision and decision making ability with ball in hand which allows him to do good damage. Down back he has also proven to be a good intercept mark and an able 1v1 defender who even at times has shown the ability to take some 1v1 marks. Athletically Rice is good and he shows a willingness to break the lines with ball in hand. Rice while productive at this stage lacks contested ball winning ability or any inside game which suggests he’ll remain a flanker/outside type.



36. Callum Ah Chee (WA – FWD/MID)
Height: 182cm, Weight: 71kg, DOB: 09/10/1997
Recruited from: South Fremantle
Reminds me of: Hayden Crozier
Brief bio: Ah Chee is a small forward who looks most threatening with his work overhead. He is a threatening mark overhead who launches at the ball, reading the drop of the ball and has the aerial ability with good leaping ability, even if he is sometimes two grab. The other major strength of Ah Chee is his work by hand, having a real awareness of where his teammates are and having the ability to feed them on the outside, on the occasions that he is in and under. By foot Ah Chee is good as a reliable kick who lowers his eyes and generally makes good decisions with ball in hand, but only has average penetration. Ah Chee is an excellent athlete and has the speed and leaping ability, he just needs to use his pace more often in game offensively. While he has the speed he lacks the endurance which needs time to develop. Of further concern with Ah Chee is the lack of consistency and impact with his performances, with too many down games where his contributions are not noticeable. I am also concerned about his light body and how often he goes to ground. I’m also struggling to find a position where he can contribute meaningfully with his play as a forward while his better position still inconsistent and his play up the field also lacking impact with too many backward kicks and not enough meaningful offense provided.

 

[Knightmare]

37. Corey Wagner (QLD – BRISBANE ACADEMY - MID)
Height: 180cm, Weight: 71kg, DOB: 23/03/1997
Recruited from: Sandgate
Reminds me of: Andrew Boston
Brief bio: Wagner is a productive and skilled small midfielder who has had a solid season. He wins a nice balance between contested and uncontested ball. He is an overall good athlete with a nice speed and endurance combination. With ball in hand he shows good composure and his execution by foot also is very good. Wagner is good both inside and outside without being great at either, and with a relative lack of height and size it will be challenging for him to establish himself for a team but with some AFL relevant attributes he may be able to overcome that.



38. Jack Silvagni (VIC – CARLTON F/S - KPP)
Height: 190cm, Weight: 81kg, DOB: 17/12/1997
Recruited from: Oakleigh Chargers
Reminds me of: Jack Gunston (Poor man’s version)
Brief bio: Silvagni is an awkwardly sized key position player who has some AFL attributes that give him a chance to make the grade. Most probably he settles as a third tall at either end but his best position is still to be decided having in the most part shown glimpses of having something at either end, though I’d lean towards forward for Silvagni as he had his six goal game up forward through the u18 championships and has also shown a good level of comfort playing in the front half in other games. Silvagni overall has a good balance to his game with strong hands overhead as a fairly athletic mark who can take some strong grabs in the air and on the lead. He also has a clean ground level game. Athletically Silvagni is above average with good pace, agility and leaping ability. And adding further value is his December birthday which along with limited games this season suggests that there is some scope to improve. The challenge will just be finding a position as at his height he feels very between positions which for AFL play is tricky to accommodate.



39. Tom Phillips (VIC – MID/FWD)
Height: 184cm, Weight: 74kg, DOB: 07/05/1996
Recruited from: Oakleigh Chargers
Reminds me of: Joshua Glenn
Brief bio: Phillips is an overager who has come back this season and really elevated his play significantly. He has played mostly through the midfield, both outside and inside, and also has the ability to push forward or back as required. Phillips has clean and reliable skills, consistently making good decisions with ball in hand and demonstrating good vision finding good targets up the ground. His numbers have been strong throughout the season and he has a good balance between finding the outside ball and winning the contested ball. Athletically he is above average, and what most stands out athletically with Phillips is his sidestep which he uses very well in game with ball in hand to give himself more time and space. Through the season and particularly through the finals Phillips showed a real knack for getting forward and hitting the scoreboard, and averaging more than a goal a game. His tackling ability is sound. He also in his one VFL appearance this year appeared in the bests for Port Melbourne which is another tick. Phillips overall is not overwhelmingly great in any one area but has an overall exceptionally well rounded game and the production to make a case for himself.

 

[Knightmare]

40. Michael Hartley (VIC – KPD)
Height: 198cm, Weight: 102kg, DOB: 07/06/1993
Recruited from: Coburg
Reminds me of: Rory Thompson
Brief bio: Harley was a previous Collingwood rookie listed player out of NSW who in his time with Collingwood struggled with injury. Hartley this year has made that transformation in his game from an effective shutdown key defender into someone who can still beat his direct opponent but now also take some intercept marks and offer a better balance to his game as more than just the limited role player he was. Hartley has good height, strength and athleticism and looms as a strong choice as immediate key defence cover.



41. Mitch Brown (VIC – KPP)
Height: 196cm, Weight: 93kg, DOB: 28/08/1990
Recruited from: Sandringham (VFL)
Reminds me of: Lachie Henderson
Brief bio: Previous Geelong first round selection has after showing promise with Essendon during the NAB Challenge put together a strong season and has put his name forward as a ready to play key position player. Brown can play either back or forward to a strong standard and present at least solid AFL depth at any key position slot.



42. Marcus Adams (WA – KPD)
Height: 193cm, Weight: 98kg, DOB: 30/07/1993
Recruited from: West Perth
Reminds me of: Heath Grundy
Brief bio: Adams is a super athletic key defenders with a 2.9 second 20m sprint time, a 24.85 second repeat sprint time and a 76cm vertical leap which are all excellent. In addition to have the athleticism he has the strength at 98kg to hold his own on the 1v1 contest. Adams this season has transitioned from forward into a key defender and has developed a great consistency down back and has developed into one of the dominant state league key defenders. Adams has the ability to stop his direct opponents given his athleticism and strength, and does so consistently but on top of that also has the production with 322 disposals and 118 marks from his 19 games and strong intercept marking ability. Adams given this was only his first season as a key defender and is still young and has some AFL relevant attributes and AFL standard athleticism and strength has further scope to improve.

 

[Knightmare]

43. Sam Menegola (WA – MID/FWD)
Height: 188cm, Weight: 90kg, DOB: 07/03/1992
Recruited from: Subiaco
Reminds me of: Tom Bell
Brief bio: Menegola has had a few AFL opportunities previously having been rookie listed by Hawthorn and Fremantle where he was at the time an endurance running freak without much game, but he has this year really come into his own developing into a big bodied midfielder with some great size on his frame who can win the ball and find it in bunches and also provide meaningful scoreboard impact with 21 goals from 14 games. His skillset and decision making ability have also improved with time and are now of sufficient standard for AFL play.



44. Josh Wagner (QLD – DEF)
Height: 189cm, Weight: 80kg, DOB: 24/06/1994
Recruited from: Aspley
Reminds me of: Adam Oxley
Brief bio: Wagner is a skilful left footer who plays off a back flank in the NEAFL and has had a strong season as one of the more damaging players in the competition. He is a fairly natural fit into an AFL club off a back flank as someone who has the vision, decision making and footskills combination to allow him to set up some meaningful play by foot from the back half. His production has been strong this season and could be an immediate fit into the back half for a team. Athletically Wagner is below average with his endurance good allowing him to cover the ground fine but his acceleration is poor so he is not a someone who will breakaway or provide meaningful linebreaking as someone who will do his damage more by foot.



45. Christopher Jansen (SA – MID/DEF)
Height: 189cm, Weight: 84kg, DOB: 12/07/1995
Recruited from: Central Districts
Reminds me of: Blake Acres
Brief bio: Jansen has had a big year through the SANFL at League level and has really come into his own. Jansen has made the transition from playing as a back flanker to this year playing through the midfield and his production has been outstanding. He has demonstrated a sound balance of winning the contested ball and finding the outside ball. With ball in hand he displays some class and uses the ball well by hand and foot. Jansen is an only average athlete from a speed and agility standpoint, but has good leaping ability and reasonable endurance. Impressive also with Jansen has been his yearly improvement, suggesting further improvement to come as well as his reported strong work ethic and leadership qualities demonstrated.

 

[Knightmare]

46. Ben Crocker (VIC – FWD/MID)
Height: 185cm, Weight: 81kg, DOB: 19/02/1997
Recruited from: Oakleigh Chargers
Reminds me of: Ricky Petterd
Brief bio: Crocker is a super strong, one grab marking medium forward who has proven a real threat in the forward half for Oakleigh this year. He is a strong mark in the air, showing real leaping ability and ability to take it at the highest point. And on the lead he also is a threat. Crocker has the ability to push up into the midfield and play off a back flank but his impact overall has been impressive up the field. Crocker has a classy feel to him and at times shows he can lower his eyes and find some nice targets inside the forward 50m but by foot he can lack consistency and is only an average kick overall, though he does have an opposite side. Athletically Crocker’s strong point is his leaping ability, with his agility in game also something he can use with some occasional sidesteps, with his pace only average.



47. Brandon White (VIC – DEF)
Height: 188cm, Weight: 77kg, DOB: 13/01/1997
Recruited from: Dandenong Stringrays
Reminds me of: Jordan Murdoch (poor man’s version)
Brief bio: White is a tall flanker who has proven down back this season to be a good piece. He has the ability to beat his direct opponent having a good 1v1 game and good closing speed but then also has the rebounding balance to his game showing the ability to at times take some intercept marks and use the ball well by foot out of the back half efficiently. Where White needs to work further is on his endurance, with his endurance at this stage poor. If he does that there is some speculation that White may in time prove capable of rotating through the midfield and into the front half as more of a utility.



48. Daniel Capiron (VIC – DEF)
Height: 189cm, Weight: 83kg, DOB: 14/06/1996
Recruited from: Dandenong Stingrays
Reminds me of: Dane Rampe
Brief bio: Capiron entered the 2014 with a lot of expectation, ultimately failing to deliver with mild and unimpactful performances. He has in 2015 come back a much improved player and has solidified himself as a very good backman both through the TAC Cup and VFL this season. Capiron most stands out with his clean but penetrating 55m kick out of the back half. He has the vision, decision making ability and execution to do damage by foot. Capiron is a capable intercept mark and will pick and choose the right times to leave his man and back himself to take the intercept mark. He also has a sound 1v1 game and is an able stopper. Athletically Capiron is only average, he has above average endurance and leaping ability but only average pace and agility and in game offers some mild but irregular run and carry ability and only average closing speed. The most appealing element with Capiron is that when he stepped up from TAC Cup to VFL football, right from the start he looked at ease doing the same things and played just as well as he did through the TAC Cup.

 

[Knightmare]

49. Nick Dodge (TAS – FWD)
Height: 182cm, Weight: 79kg, DOB: 06/02/1997
Recruited from: Launceston
Reminds me of: Mark LeCras (poor man’s version)
Brief bio: Dodge is one of the better performed small forwards this year kicking 14 goals from four TAC Cup games and five goals from three U18 championships games. Dodge has a great balance between marking ability and ability at ground level. Dodge has strong hands overhead and can take his marks on the lead, in the air where he shows nice leaping ability and in 1v1 contests with his body on body strength very good. At ground level he is exceptionally clean and one touch as a natural crumber who will pick it up cleanly off the deck and have the goal sense to know where the goals are and to convert. Athletically Dodge is above average and has a bit of power to him as a quick, agile and powerful small. From both set shots and from field kicks at goal Dodge can provide strong scoreboard impact. His relative weak points are lack of ability in other positions or outside the forward 50m. He also would benefit from improving his endurance and contested ball winning ability. But as a pure forward, Dodge has the tricks and production to suggest there is something.



50. Nathan Broad (WA – DEF)
Height: 191cm, Weight: 83kg, DOB: 15/04/1993
Recruited from: Swan Districts
Reminds me of: Cameron O’Shea
Brief bio: Broad is a ball tall back flanker who provides excellent run and carry from the back half. He can contain his opponents in the 1v1s and use his closing speed to get stops, but also has the rebounding balance to his game as a capable intercept mark who finds plenty of the footy in the back half and shows a willingness to use his run and carry. Broad’s relative weakness is his footskills and decision making ability which both are below average, as he can be rushed with ball in hand and his execution by foot can at times be imprecise.

 

[Knightmare]

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@mods please note all posts will be used as the season progresses. No deleting of my page 1 posts please!