2025 Academy Games.

[dejavoodoo44]

That was a good piece of play by Patterson to set up the winning goal - right up until the moment he kicked it to King. Except that King chose that moment to rule himself out of contention as a potential Swans draftee by actually managing to convert the shot.

The scoreboard - in terms of the number of scoring shots - suggests the Allies were the better team but it didn't really feel like that watching it. WA favoured moving the ball via short kicks, while the Allies favoured a run and handball style that always looked like coming unstuck, even when it didn't.

Carmichael had a solid game. King was pretty quiet but redeemed himself at the very end. The rest of our lads drifted in and out, mostly out.

I would like to see King play a full game as a midfielder. He doesn't look like a natural forward and I wonder if his talents would be more apparent if he could run around a bit more.

I've actually been wondering, if during the academy season, the club decided to largely keep him out of the midfield, because they didn't want the recruiters to notice how elusive, creative and damaging he can be? Of course, another possible reason, is that he's a fast twitch athlete, who doesn't really have the stamina for extended midfield time.

[imuninformedtwo]

So I’d only seen bits of him before, but I don’t recall King’s kicking being THIS much of an issue prior to the last couple of months. You’d never call him a pure kick and he occasionally seemed to be going too fast for his own body, but it’s become quite the issue particularly in front of goals. Hopefully it’s a minor or temporary kink that can be resolved with the right tutelage in the environment of an AFL club.

It’s a bit of a shame the other boys beyond King and Carmichael aren’t really staking a claim to be drafted (though I’ve heard Cal Twomey speak well of Kyle’s prospects) because it is otherwise viewed as a grim draft. It would have been nice to get some talent in the door before Tassie start polluting the draft and the Vic clubs squeeze the AFL’s proverbials to tighten the academy rules even further.

[BFG]

Be nice to get a pick before we have to match an academy player. Will all now rest with where we finish on the ladder and when King (as our likely highest rated academy player) attracts a bid.

Never seen a draft with so little structure at this point of the year to the likely top players, whereas last draft everyone was gushing about the talent and declaring it a Super Draft.

Expect another round of academy whinging from the Vics, despite the farcical rules tying players via the NGAs to Vic clubs. What ties some players via NGAs this year is mind boggling. Again the AFL asleep at the wheel or more likely not wanting push back from the big Vic clubs.

Snippet from the AFL's write up on their website, note the likely high picks tied to Northern academies that shone in this game -

"The athletic King kicked 2.3 in an impressive display up forward, including the winning set-shot with just a couple of minutes remaining, as an inaccurate Allies side overcame Western Australia to win 10.19 (79) to 11.8 (74) at Marvel Stadium."

"Patterson (20 disposals, three marks - Gold Coast Academy) is viewed by recruiters as a likely top 10 pick and had been one of the Allies' standout performers, alongside his Suns Academy teammate Koby Coulson (27 disposals, six clearances)".

"Brisbane Academy jet Dan Annable (25 disposals, five clearances, five tackles, one goal) and fellow Sydney Academy gun Lachlan Carmichael (27 disposals, four tackles) had also impressed across the afternoon."

Academy whinging incoming!

[dejavoodoo44]

Rookie Me have been doing their draft power rankings, without really mentioning it on their homepage. I've only just noticed the June edition. It has Max King at 8.

AFL Draft Power Rankings: June 2025 - Aussie Rules Rookie Me Central https://share.google/ZH07UVeTULO2baxdz

[dejavoodoo44]

Carmichael and Chamberlain are included in their 21-30 range.

The Next 10: June 2025 Power Rankings - Aussie Rules Rookie Me Central https://share.google/HtDvSzhh1M1Xnt4PS

I only found those rankings, because I was checking to see if Wes Walley is tied to Fremantle or West Coast. It's West Coast.

[imuninformedtwo]

It tells you something about the draft that Chamberlain is hanging in there at that range. He really hasn't done a thing this year. Maybe he'll turn it round, but players that flatline or go backwards in their draft year rarely turn into a lot.

[Dow]

Rookie Me have been doing their draft power rankings, without really mentioning it on their homepage. I've only just noticed the June edition. It has Max King at 8.

AFL Draft Power Rankings: June 2025 - Aussie Rules Rookie Me Central https://share.google/ZH07UVeTULO2baxdz

I have been following them, Chamberlain baffles me he’s a rookie spot at best and only then because he’s a local lad

[dejavoodoo44]

The Rookie Me scouting notes for the game. Carmichael and King get a mention. They seem impressed with Carmichael's game.

Scouting Notes: 2025 AFL U18s - Allies vs. Western Australia - Aussie Rules Rookie Me Central https://share.google/4M0pipnallRExG9kO

[dejavoodoo44]

And it is a bit odd that Chamberlain hasn't kicked on. The club gave him a couple of games in the top age academy side in 2023, so people obviously thought that he has talent. I thought last year, that if he grew into genuine KPF size, then he could go very high. This year he's grown to 194cm, but they haven't played him as a KPF. Instead, he's been alternating between half forward flank and the wing. In those positions he uses the ball well and runs hard, but just doesn't get enough of it, to really put his name forward. So, he rapidly needs a big game or two.

[Dow]

And it is a bit odd that Chamberlain hasn't kicked on. The club gave him a couple of games in the top age academy side in 2023, so people obviously thought that he has talent. I thought last year, that if he grew into genuine KPF size, then he could go very high. This year he's grown to 194cm, but they haven't played him as a KPF. Instead, he's been alternating between half forward flank and the wing. In those positions he uses the ball well and runs hard, but just doesn't get enough of it, to really put his name forward. So, he rapidly needs a big game or two.

He certainly does and maybe why he could be worth a rookie spot and developed into a key position player