Lions Drafting Discussion 2010 (no trade talk) #2

[chopperduck]

Polec does seem to have the speed that Heppell and Gaff don't, so if we went that path i certainly wouldn't mind. We do however still need some good quality mids, Heppell and Gaff still fill this need, and there are some players with speed we could get later.

Either way i'll support our recruiters, we should pick up some great looking talent in about a months time.

 

[Offsider]

I think overall Polec will be the more damaging and will be better inside than both of them, he is very evasive and is quite strong through the core. Heppsell concerns me a litle with his strength and he is not evasive or that quick. Still you can't go wrong here imo.

 

[Balony_pony16]

I agree. Heppell will be a great player but I dont think he's what we need. We need speed, so I would rather take Polec over Heppell if Gaff is taken at 4.
However, if Heppell is taken by the Eagles, Im not so sure. Gaff is a great all-round player, but I really think we need speed more than anything else. That and a good kick, which Polec also supplies.

I disagree...the best way to move the ball forward fast is actually not speed...it is by breaking lines, and is what heppell is great at.

With Fev & Brown up forward we need direct football and heppell with his composed line breaking ability brings that to the team

 

[Balony_pony16]

I think people are confused on Polec...he has pace, but doesn't use it....heis style gets caught up with stop start footy...he simply doesn't have the flare of heppell in taking the opposition on...Heppell will straighten us up

 

[Gibbo_88]

I'm really excited for this years draft because we have at least 4 in the top 35 coming to us but I've had a look at a few of the videos but none of them stand out make me think we are very lucky to have pick 5 instead of 10.

I can remember seeing the video's of Bartlett prior to the draft and hoping he would slip to us and also seeing Rich's video and thinking we had no chance of getting someone that good.

 

[Axel.]

I wouldn't be against getting Atley with pick five. I've been on his bandwagon since the start of the year.

He can play inside or outside with the ability to play in the back half and shut down an opponent, good pace, amazing work rate, his kicking is pretty decent also but needs alittle work on it. Great leadership skills as why he is the captain of the Bushrangers.

 

[Quigley]

There are quite a few fans of Heppell on here and so I will come out and say that I do not rate him nearly as high as most. I am currently writing up my mock for the draft and below is my write up for Heppell. Needless to say I do not rate him anywhere near 5.

Dyson Heppell
DOB 14/5/92 Ht 187 Wt 79

I do not rate Heppell as highly as most and I was tempted to slot him in higher to appease the masses but at the end of the day I decided its my mock and I will put him where I rate him. It’s interesting to note that at the Champs he was a second rounder probably with most draft watchers and now suddenly he is being talked of as a sure fire top 5 pick. Whilst he has some good attributes I am not sure he is the can’t miss prospect some consider him to be but then again I haven’t really been following him in the TAC where he has really come in at the end of the year since his move into the midfield. What gets mentioned most when people talk about Heppell is his kicking and he does have a lovely kicking style which generates excellent penetration. The thing is though that it is just as important to have good decision making and I am not sure Heppell’s decision making matches his pretty kick. He too often kicks to contests when it would be better to wait for something to develop or alternatively go shorter to an available man. Decision making is something which is very hard to teach and accordingly I am a little wary of taking him too highly. In tight I also do not rate his hands particularly highly and despite being a reasonable size he tends to get buffeted around in the contest both on the ground and in the air. There is a definite lack of core strength with him going to ground too easily. He is quick to recover but even so often the damage is done. Accordingly I think that he will be a wing or HBFer at AFL level. I am not sure a team should be thinking of drafting him as a midfield option. Overhead he has reasonable hands but he does not maintain his balance in the air well enough to be considered a good mark. He also has a history of stress fractures which is concerning in a young player and this will have to be carefully managed at the next level. I have to admit though that large leaps have been made in managing this type of injury and it is probably not the issue it was 5 years ago. He missed 10 weeks in the preseason recovering from his injury and to recover and have the year he has had speaks very highly of his dedication and professionalism. Speaking of speaking highly of him I note that his TAC coach holds him in the highest regard and rates him as the standout player he has coached at the Gippsland Power over the last two years. Emma Quayle has also described him as smart, independent and level headed. He has worked very hard this year on polishing his game and working on the things that needed to improve. One of the big things was his speed and he worked with a sprint coach to address this. It paid off at the Combine with him putting in a sub 3 20m time which is a credit too him. He still does not play with pace but he times a hell of a lot quicker than Sidebottom and Rockliff and it hasn’t stopped those guys having a big influence on the AFL in their first couple of years. People often mark guys like Rich down as having limited development left in them and I usually call bollox on that but this is one case where I worry it might be the case. Heppell has already worked exceptionally hard to improve the deficiencies in his game and the ones that remain (e.g. his decision making) might be so ingrained that they might not be capable of being corrected. I am sure I am going to be howled down by many for my review of him and I might well be entirely too harsh but I do think a lot of people are looking through rose coloured glasses at him atm.

 

[Voss the boss]

when is your mock draft coming Quiggs - and can you give us a hint who is at 5??

 

[Quigley]

I should be finished with the main part of my write up this week but I am still waiting on some testing results which I like to see prior to finalising. I am probably looking to put something up toward the end of next week although given I am going to be on holidays that could be a bit ambitious.

Irel is going to be stepping in for me in the Phantom this year which starts this weekend. With the holiday I would not be able to be on enough to ensure I was not holding everyone up. Irel did it a few years ago and knows his stuff.

On my pick 5 lets just say its a guy I have no expectation we will take that high on the day. Its very much like my rating of Cyril at 5 from a few years ago. I am going out on a limb for a guy I think has huge potential and is very underrated.

 

[Dylan12]

On my pick 5 lets just say its a guy I have no expectation we will take that high on the day. Its very much like my rating of Cyril at 5 from a few years ago. I am going out on a limb for a guy I think has huge potential and is very underrated.

Thinking out loud Quigley, wouldn't you think the Lions will be targeting a predictable 'pick 5' or someone who is on everyones radar, partially due to upgrading our first round pick. I say that in light of the fact that the Lions could probably have got such a player you speak of with its original pick 10.

 

[Quigley]

Thinking out loud Quigley, wouldn't you think the Lions will be targeting a predictable 'pick 5' or someone who is on everyones radar, partially due to upgrading our first round pick. I say that in light of the fact that the Lions could probably have got such a player you speak of with its original pick 10.

Yeh pick 5 will be one of Gaff, Heppell, Atley or Polec I think and I have absolutely no problem with those guys (although I don't rate Heppell that highly personally). All are good and low risk prospects. I like to shake things up a bit with my mock and when you have nothing really riding on the pick its easy to take an outrageous player who really has no chance of being taken there on the day.

With that said I hear quite a few things about where teams rate particular players from year to year and they are often surprising. For example just because the common perception is that Bartlett was a 20-30 pick didn't stop Wiseby from rating him at 5 last year. Adelaide also have astoundingly original ratings for players year in year out. Those kind of things give me a lot of confidence to just say to hell with it and put the guy in there that I rate.

 

[Gabbatoir]

I should be finished with the main part of my write up this week but I am still waiting on some testing results which I like to see prior to finalising. I am probably looking to put something up toward the end of next week although given I am going to be on holidays that could be a bit ambitious.

Irel is going to be stepping in for me in the Phantom this year which starts this weekend. With the holiday I would not be able to be on enough to ensure I was not holding everyone up. Irel did it a few years ago and knows his stuff.

On my pick 5 lets just say its a guy I have no expectation we will take that high on the day. Its very much like my rating of Cyril at 5 from a few years ago. I am going out on a limb for a guy I think has huge potential and is very underrated.

Smacks of Josh Green.

 

[irel]

Thinking out loud Quigley, wouldn't you think the Lions will be targeting a predictable 'pick 5' or someone who is on everyones radar, partially due to upgrading our first round pick. I say that in light of the fact that the Lions could probably have got such a player you speak of with its original pick 10.

Mock drafts and The BF phantom draft is about personal opinion. It is not about pre-empting what the club is going to draft.

 

[Hollow Knight]

Smacks of Josh Green.

Yep.

No issues with Quigleys Heppell appraisal but it really did sound like his late season TAC cup form was something special following his move to the midfield.

Where Quigley sees perhaps limited potential, I see massive upside.

Hadley's call on pick 5 is going to be really interesting.

 

[Voss the boss]

I should be finished with the main part of my write up this week but I am still waiting on some testing results which I like to see prior to finalising. I am probably looking to put something up toward the end of next week although given I am going to be on holidays that could be a bit ambitious.

Irel is going to be stepping in for me in the Phantom this year which starts this weekend. With the holiday I would not be able to be on enough to ensure I was not holding everyone up. Irel did it a few years ago and knows his stuff.

On my pick 5 lets just say its a guy I have no expectation we will take that high on the day. Its very much like my rating of Cyril at 5 from a few years ago. I am going out on a limb for a guy I think has huge potential and is very underrated.

Thanks Qiuggs - really looking forward to reading it - you are always very insightful.

 

[Dylan12]

Mock drafts and The BF phantom draft is about personal opinion. It is not about pre-empting what the club is going to draft.

Completely understand and not for a minute was I suggesting otherwise, just curious if he thought that the Lions had a clear player or two in mind.

 

[Quigley]

Completely understand and not for a minute was I suggesting otherwise, just curious if he thought that the Lions had a clear player or two in mind.

I think they do Dylan I just don't know who it is

 

[irel]

Completely understand and not for a minute was I suggesting otherwise, just curious if he thought that the Lions had a clear player or two in mind.

Yeah, I would suggest the fact that Kerr went in batting hard to get the upgrade indicates Hadley has a particular player in mind. The Supporter Newsletter indicated it would be a midfielder so the likelihood it will be out of Gaff, Polec, Atley (currently regarded as midfielders) and Heppel (currently regarded as utility with midfield potential).

Very little is given away by clubs at this point. As we come closer to the draft the selections seem to settle as clubs tend to consult with each other, especially on the top ten. Once West Coast make their decision at pick four everyone else than falls into line. We will get a fair idea of the top ten when Emma Q releases her first round projections.

 

[tysonp]

I was told today that Brisbane is keen on taking Ryan Lester with one of our picks in the late 20's. Can anyone give me some information on him?

 

[pauldrc]

If there is a bolter pick at 5 that might really suit us, I would suggest it could be one I. Smith....although if we got him at a later pick I would be stoked....

 

[Axel.]

He's a tall defender who can play in the forwardline and sometimes in the midfield. He's a really smart user of the ball and a strong mark.

Don't think he'll go in the late 20's but i wouldn't be against it.

 

[tysonp]

He's a tall defender who can play in the forwardline and sometimes in the midfield. He's a really smart user of the ball and a strong mark.

Don't think he'll go in the late 20's but i wouldn't be against it.

Thanks for the information Axel.

 

[Axel.]

Draft bolters

 

[thoselionslads]

I should be finished with the main part of my write up this week but I am still waiting on some testing results which I like to see prior to finalising. I am probably looking to put something up toward the end of next week although given I am going to be on holidays that could be a bit ambitious.

Irel is going to be stepping in for me in the Phantom this year which starts this weekend. With the holiday I would not be able to be on enough to ensure I was not holding everyone up. Irel did it a few years ago and knows his stuff.

On my pick 5 lets just say its a guy I have no expectation we will take that high on the day. Its very much like my rating of Cyril at 5 from a few years ago. I am going out on a limb for a guy I think has huge potential and is very underrated.

A certain Queenslander going to feature....?

 

[Hollow Knight]

A certain Queenslander going to feature....?

Which Queenslander are you thinking?