Draft Watcher Knightmare's 2017 Draft Almanac

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Hey km I was just wondering if there is much talent coming out of WA this year?

Unusually lean year for WA prospects at this stage.

Only the one inside my top 30 at this stage.

Someone I haven't heard for a while (one of the first lot I remember a few years ago for this group) is Kyron Hayden.

Have he and Daniel Hanna fallen off the radar?

They're both performing.

Kyron Hayden is finding the footy and has started the WAFL season well.

Daniel Hanna hasn't found much of the ball but has featured in Calder's bests in each of his first three matches.
 

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Who would you say are the top talents from WA at the moment

Aaron Naughton is my top WA prospect.

After that I'd struggle to fit a second into my top 50.

Jake Patmore probably. Sam Taylor maybe but on the edge of that 50. John Frampton is probably my 4th rated WA prospect but wouldn't be in my top 50 at this stage.

WA plainly put aren't adding much to the talent pool this year, at this stage anyway.
 
Knightmare great to read your stuff again in 2017

The pies have a recent record of drafting Oakleigh Chargers players... any early, mid and potential late pick standouts there that they might look at?

Toby Wooller is a good one for Oakleigh. 193cm, 90kg. From a Collingwood context he is a slightly taller Crocker rather than a key forward.

Jack Higgins as a 178cm mid who can push forward is a big time accumulator and can crumb up forward - though pressure not ideal.

They're the two better Oakleigh prospects at this stage.

Charlie Thompson is a big time accumulator with a big body and huge work rate. He's just a poor kick and lacks any speed.

Overall I'm looking at Oakleigh as lacking suitable list fits for Collingwood this year.

Several of the other Vic Metro clubs though have players Collingwood will be chomping at the bit to get their hands. Particularly some of the talls available this year.
 
No way collingwood goes small this draft. They need talls forward amd back.

A small forward the Pies could use and a rebounding backman who can really generate meaningful drive.

Otherwise, the Pies are in dire need of talls. Need another key forward or two. Another key defender. Perhaps another ruck prospect to have developing as a long term prospect if it's the right player.
 
Hey KM, love reading your stuff again for another year! I know only early but interested in a few players. Max Dreher from the Northern Knights how do you think he goes and Lachlan Murphy, didn't get picked up last year after a pretty good year, seems to have gone to play in the SANFL and played a very solid game in round 1 against Sturt, how do you see his chances this year, still only 18 years old

Thank KM
 
A small forward the Pies could use and a rebounding backman who can really generate meaningful drive.

Otherwise, the Pies are in dire need of talls. Need another key forward or two. Another key defender. Perhaps another ruck prospect to have developing as a long term prospect if it's the right player.
I think Kirby, Daicos and Brown fill our small forward stocks. Agree with the rebounding defender with pace is still a need. We also have Lynch as a developing ruckman.

We have to go tall. Its that simple. Our team is already slightly unbalanced with midfielders and flankers. Couple of rumours are we are looking at a fwd from someone from the northern teams. Not sure if we targeting someone who is a free agent or we will have to look at using our first rounder again. Hopefully that's not the case, because I would love to develop a tall of our own.
 
I think Kirby, Daicos and Brown fill our small forward stocks. Agree with the rebounding defender with pace is still a need. We also have Lynch as a developing ruckman.

We have to go tall. Its that simple. Our team is already slightly unbalanced with midfielders and flankers. Couple of rumours are we are looking at a fwd from someone from the northern teams. Not sure if we targeting someone who is a free agent or we will have to look at using our first rounder again. Hopefully that's not the case, because I would love to develop a tall of our own.
Ok I'm a masochist.

Who?
 

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Hey KM, love reading your stuff again for another year! I know only early but interested in a few players. Max Dreher from the Northern Knights how do you think he goes and Lachlan Murphy, didn't get picked up last year after a pretty good year, seems to have gone to play in the SANFL and played a very solid game in round 1 against Sturt, how do you see his chances this year, still only 18 years old

Thank KM

There was interest in Murphy for a late pick last year from a few clubs, but in the end clubs just slightly favoured some others who were still available. With a strong season he could be picked.

Dreher has been a good ball winner for NN so far. Genuine 1st possession winner at the coalface. His endurance testing also is as good as any in the TAC Cup, though not as noticeable in game. I'll be watching his progress over the season and looking at whether he can add further tricks to the inside ball winning. Like Murphy, probably needs another string to his bow to ensure he gets selected.

I think Kirby, Daicos and Brown fill our small forward stocks. Agree with the rebounding defender with pace is still a need. We also have Lynch as a developing ruckman.

We have to go tall. Its that simple. Our team is already slightly unbalanced with midfielders and flankers. Couple of rumours are we are looking at a fwd from someone from the northern teams. Not sure if we targeting someone who is a free agent or we will have to look at using our first rounder again. Hopefully that's not the case, because I would love to develop a tall of our own.

Kirby is seriously developable and if he answers the crumbing forward role to a high standard, then need filled. He's still in the wait and see how he progresses category. It will all come down to his application or otherwise.

Brown I expect will be AFL quality though he is more a midfielder who can creep forward as opposed to a forward first.

Daicos is another question mark. Looking much more advanced than at the end of last year, so he's putting in the work. He just needs to keep improving to potentially become relevant.

Max Lynch is another wait and see. He'll either be retained/cut based on rate of development at years end. Collingwood turn over those rookies if they're not looking like best 22 players or eventual best 22 players, and I'm not convinced while progressing ok through the preseason that Lynch is necessarily the guy.

My call for a ruck prospect this year is based on the depth of quality ruckmen available again this year.

I have heard the same rumours about Collingwood seeking a key forward from one of the Northern clubs. Whether Collingwood can actually acquire the player however is more the issue with good key forwards not given up cheaply. Even if a key forward is acquired from an opposition club, I'd still be looking towards the draft if the club have an early selection and a key forward represents strong value at that selection.

Needs to work on his kicking before thinking about AFL. Has all the tools to become a great contested ball winner. He's a great inside mid, he just needs to fix up his kicking. (My opinion)

It's interesting watching Cassidy just the footy at 1/2 time during Darcy's junior matches a few years back, his skills and ball handling looked really silky and really loved selling candy and taking some flashy grabs. But of course in practice and under match conditions are very different things.

Now he's much more a contested ball winning beast and it's just that, that I notice each game from him. Nothing else at the moment distinguishes him from the next player.m

Cassidy's kicking I don't have a massive problem with. His efficiency isn't where he would want it to be yet, but it just isn't at the same time something I notice with him. I don't notice many terrible clangers but at the same time he doesn't do damage with it either. It just doesn't feel like an important part of his game yet.

With Cassidy most broadly, and he certainly doesn't nearly have Darcy's skills, but it's just adding another point of difference or two that he needs. Just that extra trick. It might be kicking. It might be pushing forward, taking a contested grab and kicking more goals. It might be providing more run and carry with ball in hand. He just needs that extra point of difference or two to make a meaningful push up draft boards to be spoken about as a top pick (which he isn't presently).
 
Why would they go for a key forward? They have Hipwood and Schache, and also ballenden on the way.

Hipwood can play forward, but watching him down back. He has the scope to be a multi-year All-Australian key defender.

Up forward he doesn't have the hands overhead to project to have the same success. He gets to the right positions every time, reading the drop of the ball freakishly early and with that height it's a huge weapon, but if he drops half the marks he should be taking, which he did in watching him through the preseason, he's not that ideal fit up forward.

Down back he seems much more comfortable, peeling off his man, getting to the drop of the ball and not feeling that same perceived pressure of being defended.
 
Hipwood can play forward, but watching him down back. He has the scope to be a multi-year All-Australian key defender.

Up forward he doesn't have the hands overhead to project to have the same success. He gets to the right positions every time, reading the drop of the ball freakishly early and with that height it's a huge weapon, but if he drops half the marks he should be taking, which he did in watching him through the preseason, he's not that ideal fit up forward.

Down back he seems much more comfortable, peeling off his man, getting to the drop of the ball and not feeling that same perceived pressure of being defended.
If we were to play Hipwood in Defence Andrews could play forward he's easily our best marking KPPer would McStay and Hipwood in defence work
 
If we were to play Hipwood in Defence Andrews could play forward he's easily our best marking KPPer would McStay and Hipwood in defence work

I don't love McStay. He appears like he could be serviceable but nothing more. Though I've never been one to give pass marks to key position players who aren't stars or high level performers by position.

I'd go with Hipwood and Andrews down back and go looking for a second key forward this offseason. Hipwood and Andrews can be an All-Australian key defence duo with time and proper development.

Settling the back half needs to be Brisbane's priority. Even if the front half is underwhelming this season. Building continuity and consistency is how you build good chemistry down back and create a winning team.

It will be interesting to see whether Brisbane ever make the move of Hipwood down back.

Any small forwards that look real promising

There are several smalls worth a shot this year. Many of them are mids. For small forwards there are more I like next year. But as a rookie Aaron Trusler is one who has been impressive through the early rounds and is worth tracking.
 
With jk beginning to age now do you think the eagles will target a tall forward and if so, who?
 
With jk beginning to age now do you think the eagles will target a tall forward and if so, who?

With no clear successor to Josh Kennedy, this offseason seems to be the one, with great depth of key forwards this year. And with Kennedy 30 this year, and young key forwards taking four years to develop generally, now is the time to strike.

Noah Balta and Callum Coleman-Jones are two of the highly rated key forwards worth watching who may be available at West Coast's choice.
 
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