Academy games 2026.

[Thunder Shaker]

Thank you for posting this, deja.

The only thing that concerns me about the good form of the Academy lads is the possibility that we won't be recruiting any of the best Academy prospects due to a lack of high-end draft picks. You can be sure that several clubs would have had scouts at the games, furiously taking notes on laptops.

[dejavoodoo44]

Thank you for posting this, deja.

The only thing that concerns me about the good form of the Academy lads is the possibility that we won't be recruiting any of the best Academy prospects due to a lack of high-end draft picks. You can be sure that several clubs would have had scouts at the games, furiously taking notes on laptops.

Ta.
And yes, even if we did trade out a player or two and added some picks, we'd still possibly miss out on anyone going high, because it's highly likely that we will have to pay the competence tax.

Although currently none of our players are rated top thirty by the various draft gurus. One of them extended their rankings down to fifty and included the injured McCartney at around 35. Not sure that he quite has the body of work to be drafted without playing this season, but he occasionally looked good last season. There’s also the likelihood that he'll choose North instead of us. Probably makes more sense, because we might have other options that we're keen on, where they might take him regardless, just to get one over the academies.

Of course, things can change a lot during the national championships, as most recruiters rate form against quality opposition more highly. Personally, I think our two players most likely to rise are Medved and McGroder. If they're picked for the Allies, a 20+ possession game for either of them could see them rise into first round contention, as that should be enough for even the most unobservant of pundits notice how athletic they are.