2019 trading, drafting and list management: players and personnel

[bloodspirit]

Here's a nice article about Elijah Taylor: https://www.smh.com.au/sport/afl/tay...20-p53cdy.html. The talk I've heard is that he is high on talent and the concern is whether he can adapt to the rigours of playing at AFL level and become a consistent competitor. He's an Indigenous boy with blood links to Tim Kelly, Narkles, Kicketts, Haydens and... Buddy Franklin. If we could get him at pick 32 I'd be happy with that. He could have 3 years of Buddy taking him under his wing and showing him the right way to train and develop and that would hopefully overcome any Tim Kelly go-home factor. Fingers crossed. I wouldn't recruit him without talking it through with Buddy first though.

Different question: it's seeming increasingly likely that Will Gould may slide to our second pick. Do we mostly favour taking him if he's available? He's a beaut kick and solid KPD but performed awfully at the combine, may not be tall enough to be a KPD at AFL level and arguably has less upside than other players as manchild playing against boys who have more development in them. I'm happy to defer to recruiters, but I reckon, if his mindset is right, and he's psychologically the kind of guy we want, I'd back him in to be a success and take him if he's still there. Especially since I reckon we need a KPD. What say you?

[Jeynez]

He is an inside mid who is described as both explosive and strong. Allegedly he has good hands but needs to work on his kicking, which is pretty obvious from the highlights reel. I think the reason he's being talked about as a top-5 pick is his eye-catching performances at the end of the season.

Young gun enhances top-five claims with stunning performance - AFL.com.au

In a game against an Oakleigh side containing Rowell and Anderson, Flanders got BOG for 4 goals, 27 disposals (16 contested), nine clearances and seven tackles. Serong playing in the same Gippsland Power side got 29 disposals, nine clearances and seven inside-50 entries.

Serong looks a better ball user, but I think Flanders has more potential "X factor". I would still rather Serong, I think.

The closer we get to the draft, the more I think we'll end up with Serong. Could also see us going for Robertson too.

[liz]

Yes.... and so, who would you like us to pick, liz? .

Matt Rowell?

Or I'd make do with Tom Green. (Maybe lacks "silk" but makes up for that with an extreme level of grunt.)

We can't have either of these???? Oh well...

I'm not especially enthused about any of the rest. Clearly our midfield needs restocking but, as I wrote a few days ago, our second and third picks look well placed to pick a couple of pure midfielders. So I'd be happy for the club to use the first pick on someone who brings something unusual. Initially I had Young pegged as a HBFer, but he seems to be more a backline marshall and creator. I'm as enthused by "that kick" as many others. I'd love it if we could clone Dawson, because his mixture of assets would be useful up forward or maybe in the midfield. Drafting Young looms as the most practical way of maybe achieving that, albeit with a high degree of uncertainty, and patience required. Until someone actually invents a cloning machine, of course (and even then we might want to use our first turn to clone Franklin, or Rampe, or Heeney).

So Young would be my best outcome after the improbable Rowell or Green. But it sounds like he is only slightly less improbable than those two, so I guess - like the rest of us - I'll just have to make do with whoever the club selects. Maybe the idea of Kemp, out of the rest, excites me most but he does come up a slightly higher risk than most draftees.

[ugg]

Heard an interesting rumour today that Swans are seriously considering bidding for Liam Henry with our first pick.

[Markwebbos]

Different question: it's seeming increasingly likely that Will Gould may slide to our second pick. Do we mostly favour taking him if he's available? He's a beaut kick and solid KPD but performed awfully at the combine, may not be tall enough to be a KPD at AFL level and arguably has less upside than other players as manchild playing against boys who have more development in them. I'm happy to defer to recruiters, but I reckon, if his mindset is right, and he's psychologically the kind of guy we want, I'd back him in to be a success and take him if he's still there. Especially since I reckon we need a KPD. What say you?

I like the look of Gould. I see him as a potential Rampe replacement (I know that the Great Dane is irreplaceable, but he'll be 30 next year).

Gould's been playing SANFL, so not just against kids. The big knock is on his fitness / fatness, and the Swans actually told him he needs to lose weight if he wants to be drafted. I don't know if that indicates an interest or a lack of interest by us? Assuming he has lost some weight (and he claims he has) I would be happy to take him.

But then I'm not a club recruiter, I'm a keyboard warrior.

[liz]

Heard an interesting rumour today that Swans are seriously considering bidding for Liam Henry with our first pick.

Before or after we bid on Green?

I heard a couple of weeks ago that the Swans were thinking about that. He is a player with an excitement factor about him. But would mightily piss off Freo. The club would want to hope that Freo don't have an early pick (before the Swans) next year when Campbell is on the board.

[Markwebbos]

Before or after we bid on Green?

I heard a couple of weeks ago that the Swans were thinking about that. He is a player with an excitement factor about him. But would mightily piss off Freo. The club would want to hope that Freo don't have an early pick (before the Swans) next year when Campbell is on the board.

If we did, it would seriously p1ss them off, given they just did a pick swap to get on in before a bid on Henry.

[liz]

I like the look of Gould. I see him as a potential Rampe replacement (I know that the Great Dane is irreplaceable, but he'll be 30 next year).

Gould's been playing SANFL, so not just against kids. The big knock is on his fitness / fatness, and the Swans actually told him he needs to lose weight if he wants to be drafted. I don't know if that indicates an interest or a lack of interest by us? Assuming he has lost some weight (and he claims he has) I would be happy to take him.

But then I'm not a club recruiter, I'm a keyboard warrior.

I was put off Gould - probably irrationally - by an interview with him a couple of weeks ago where he said he was really confident he could come in straight away and contribute at senior level. I know confidence can be a good thing, but cockiness isn't. Especially for someone who should understand his fitness levels are a long way short of AFL level. I much prefer reading responses from draftees who say that they just want to get to a club, put their head down, work hard and earn the respect of team mates. Some players can step up straight away, but most take some time to adjust to the significantly higher demands of AFL football, even compared to senior SANFL football.

[Markwebbos]

I was put off Gould - probably irrationally - by an interview with him a couple of weeks ago where he said he was really confident he could come in straight away and contribute at senior level. I know confidence can be a good thing, but cockiness isn't. Especially for someone who should understand his fitness levels are a long way short of AFL level. I much prefer reading responses from draftees who say that they just want to get to a club, put their head down, work hard and earn the respect of team mates. Some players can step up straight away, but most take some time to adjust to the significantly higher demands of AFL football, even compared to senior SANFL football.

I reckon both Izak Rankine and Connor Rozee would have been quite cocky before they were drafted (although probably with more justification). I can see positives and negatives of, I'll call it an abundance of confidence.

He has been playing SANFL, and he's the size of a small car, so I can see why he might think he's ready for AFL next year.

If we pick him I'll trust the club and if we don't I'll assume he ended up in the unfit/@@@@head basket.

[Legs Akimbo]

I like the look of Flanders. Short legs long body. A lot of power. Busy. I'd be happy if we draft him.

[Nico]

I like the look of Flanders. Short legs long body. A lot of power. Busy. I'd be happy if we draft him.

Perfect fit for Adelaide. They like players with stubby legs. Port like players with big heads.

[707]

Perfect fit for Adelaide. They like players with stubby legs. Port like players with big heads.

Wow, what an observation!

Surely Serong is still in the mix for us, keeps getting highly rated talent wise but appears to have slipped down draft boards. Wonder if there's any truth in Flanders? Assume we've visited him at home which is what's fueling this prediction.

I so want to see Melbourne bid on Green just to see what happens!

[SeanM]

Our first pick still seems fairly undecided or a closely guarded secret.

Cal Twomey on his podcast mentions we might be looking at Flanders, Young, Ash, D.Stephens and possibly McAsey. Which is quite a diverse range of players. Twomey also thinks that Young is a possibility to slide if Melbourne take Jackson and GWS takes Ash.

It is also a bit strange because even a few weeks ago on the messageboards it seemed we were likely looking at Serong/Kemp and last week we were discussing Jackson. So we have almost been linked with every available player in the top 10.

[Melbourne_Blood]

I just hope we don’t pull a surprise like the Ling pick, where he was expected to go a fair bit later in the draft. I think we should defer to the experts and select from Young , Serong, Flanders or Ash( my order of preference ).


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[bloodspirit]

I just hope we don’t pull a surprise like the Ling pick, where he was expected to go a fair bit later in the draft. I think we should defer to the experts and select from Young , Serong, Flanders or Ash( my order of preference ).


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I'd back our experts i.e. our recruiters over the media pundits any day. I defer to them.

It's absurd that Cal Twomey's is touted as "the nation (or even the world's) leading draft expert". What about Stephen Wells? What about Kinnear Beatson? Etc. Etc. There are plenty of professionals who know more about it than him. He may be the best one in the media (and perhaps that's all they're claiming), at least since Emma Quayle was recruited to become an actual recruiter herself. If she ever returns to the meeja they'll really have to drop their ambit claims about Cal.