2021 Draft Thread

[Smoking Aces]

Sonsie had a bad game against Geelong. So did most of his teammates - they lost by 100 points. Not sure how many touches he had but Horne-Francis only had 11. That team came together without much prep, early in the season after no footy last year. It led some to declare there were only eight draftable players in what has turned out to be a pretty deep pool. From memory only Daicos and Johnson impressed and I doubt Johnson got to 15 touches.

As for Sonsie regularly not getting a touch, that's overblown. He had 15 in the game that ended his season. He had 21 twice, one of which he also kicked two goals, 24 (one goal) and 34 (two goals). That's 100 disposals and five goals in his four complete NAB games. Plus 24, six clearances and two goals in his VFL game. In his 21-touch games he was equal-4th and equal-5th for disposals in the match. His 24 was equal-5th.

So, one bad game against Geelong, one game in which he copped a season-ending injury, and five other games in which he averaged 24.96 disposals and 1.4 goals.

Soligo is the only other mid from Ranges who'll get drafted so it's fair to say Sonsie, who was touted as a top-3 pick coming into the year, was getting most of the oppo's attention.

There were similar concerns raised about a kid called Cotchin after McGinnity blanketed him in a state game. I'm not saying Sonsie is Cotch-good, but he is damn good.

Nailed. It.

The defence rests your Honor.

 

[Smoking Aces]

https://twitter.com/x/status/1460510355063410688

 

[Smoking Aces]

Anyone heard the rumour we are trying to trade 15 & 28 for Saints pick 9?

Every chance Hobbs, Ward, Johnson and Gibcus could all be on the board at our first pick.

 

[Smoking Aces]

HeraldSun's phantom draft has us getting:

9. Ben Hobbs
17. Josh Sinn
28. Zac Taylor
29. Rhett Bazzo
30. Brady Hough

 

[Smoking Aces]

Callum Twomey said Josh Rachele has spoken to Richmond recently.

Giants at pick 2, Adelaide (very keen), Hawthorn, Richmond & Freo have interest in him.

https://www.afl.com.au/news/687821/listen-the-other-draft-jet-waiting-to-be-picked-a-lesson-for-hugh

 

[AstuteTiger]

Anyone heard the rumour we are trying to trade 15 & 28 for Saints pick 9?

Every chance Hobbs, Ward, Johnson and Gibcus could all be on the board at our first pick.

We started it here, the media just run with it

 

[AstuteTiger]

Hobbs to it: Ben is a Rebel with a cause​

By Owen Leonard - November 16, 2021 ​

Whether it’s in football, tennis, golf, basketball, or even a game of cards, Ben Hobbs just wants to win.
The draft prospect out of the Greater Western Victoria Rebels is a competitive beast - an inside midfielder who tackles with intent, wins plenty of his own ball, and drifts forward to kick goals.

Ben Hobbs at the AFL Draft training day at Trevor Barker Oval.

But his toughest competition yet did not come at a stoppage, nor on the fairway. It would not come in a fiery game of Texas hold ’em, either.
To even establish himself as the likely top-10 pick he has become, Hobbs had to win a battle with his own body first. The 18-year-old recalls drawing on his trademark competitiveness to overcome an ankle injury that threatened to derail his season back in April.

Ben Hobbs has worked his way back through injury.

“It was frustrating,” Hobbs told The Age. “The first few days with it I really struggled, but as soon as I realised this would happen at AFL level, it just turned my mindset into getting back and playing good footy for the chance to get drafted. It was a bit of survival mode; I went pretty hard on getting back.”
Surgery soon followed, sidelining the hard-nosed prospect for nine weeks. Hobbs, however, found the silver lining in his lengthy lay-off.
“It set me back a bit, but I learnt a fair bit throughout that period on how my body handles an injury like that,” he said. “How surgery was, and how to get back and perform, so it was actually a blessing in disguise, I think.”
Hobbs’ eventual return to football was emphatic. He combined 34 touches with two goals and nine tackles against the Murray Bushrangers, and racked up 32-plus possessions in two of his next three contests before Victoria’s season-ending lockdown struck.

Hobbs’ undeniable fervour for football was first lit in Horsham, a town in western Victoria with a healthy connection to the sport. Before Hobbs, it had produced the likes of Craig and Brad Sholl, Adam Goodes, and Jake Lloyd.
The midfielder cracked state selection for the first time as an under-12.
“That really made me understand that I wasn’t too bad,” he said, modestly. “I wanted to keep making these representative teams. It moved on to [under] 15s, and at that stage, I wanted to be the best player on that team. It developed from there.”
Hobbs then made the move to Clarendon College in Ballarat, both in pursuit of his sporting goals, and in a desire to push himself academically. He remembers the boarding experience as “tough early on”, but he remains grateful for the opportunity.
“I’ve got a lot out of it and really matured as a person,” he said.

Clearly, Hobbs’ maturity is of note. He has already been earmarked as a future leader at the top level and captained Vic Country in games against the state’s Metro team earlier in the year.

“That was huge for me, I’m really proud of that,” he said. “Sadly, we didn’t actually get a carnival, but I got two games to be the captain, and leadership is something I feel strongly about. I see myself as a future leader at the next level.”
In a football sense, Hobbs’ leadership style has been inspired by Chris Judd and Richmond premiership skipper Trent Cotchin, of whom he is a particularly avid fan.
“I’ve listened to a few podcasts with Chris Judd and I think he was a fantastic leader,” Hobbs said. “I think Trent Cotchin has been an unreal leader as well, and I go for the Tigers so I’ve really watched ‘Cotch’ and I think he’s done huge things and really turned the club around.”

It comes as no surprise to learn that Hobbs focuses on leading by example, but he also places a firm emphasis on improving those around him.
“I like to get around my teammates and push them to be the best as well,” he said. “I can definitely be pretty vocal, and I think I know the game pretty well.”
But above all, this competitive beast leads to win.
“I like to win and compete. I don’t think twice about it. It’s been in my nature and my personality all the way through,” he said.

Hobbs to it: Ben is a Rebel with a cause

Whether it’s in football, tennis, golf, basketball, or even a game of cards, Greater Western Victoria Rebels draft prospect Ben Hobbs is a competitive beast who just wants to win.

www.theage.com.au

 

[mrposhman]

Hope you are right and think you probably are.

There was a belief in Perth that they wanted Erasmus and Johnson, but now Amiss has emerged as their top target.
As Amiss now considered the most important of the three, the thinking is that he will go at 8, leaving a choice of the other two to us.
They will take the other.
Erasmus shading Johnson to us.
Amiss and Johnson to Fremantle.
Both Erasmus and Johnson are brilliant prospects.

We won’t be disappointed.
Sonsie at 17, with Johnson off the table, would be a very good result.

I can't see us picking Erasmus at 9. I'm probably 90% sure that Hobbs will be there and we will call his name, and would love either Sonsie or Johnson (I can see him sliding) at 17.

 

[mrposhman]

Anyone heard the rumour we are trying to trade 15 & 28 for Saints pick 9?

Every chance Hobbs, Ward, Johnson and Gibcus could all be on the board at our first pick.

I would like to trade for Pick 9, but being as it seems likely that Sonsie will be there at 17, I think I'd prefer to use a future pick to trade back in.

Maybe Pick 9 and the Saints 2022 2nd, for our 1st in 2022 and Pick 26 (they will be hoping this pick is before any Owens bid). I'm not sure they'd do it. I think they'd want to have a pick around 20 odd to do it though.

 

[T-Shirt Tommy]

If Gibcus is there at 9 and we select him, who do we then choose with our pick 15?

Surely we go a mid, but which one?

 

[eZyT]

If Gibcus is there at 9 and we select him, who do we then choose with our pick 15?

Surely we go a mid, but which one?

The Sonz

 

[mrposhman]

I'm not discounting that the Giants could make a big play this year and try and trade up from 13 to get Andrew. He could potentially slip to the Saints pick (assuming Freo prefer Amiss), which then it would make sense for both teams to trade up. I could almost see a trade of 13 and GWS's 2nd in 2022 for Pick 9. Reckon that could happen on draft night.

 

[toothless]

If Gibcus is there at 9 and we select him, who do we then choose with our pick 15?

Surely we go a mid, but which one?

This is what I was thinking an hour or so ago too. If Horne-Francis, Daicos, Callaghan, Rachele, Hobbs, Ward, & Johnson are gone before our 9th pick do we go presumably Erasmus or Gibcus/Andrew?

 

[King Kong]

Nailed. It.

The defence rests your Honor.

LOL - the defense will be resting if Sonsie is playing in the forward line.

 

[King Kong]

Just rewatched the first quarter of the AIS-Geelong game. Sonsie matched up against Narkle or Constable at stoppages - two very good, very strong VFL players. Daicos 9 disposals, Fahey 8 (4 play-ons from kick-ins, one of which he chipped to Daicos and ran past to receive the handball back). Gibcus 4, Horne-Francis, Callaghan (one an out-on-the-full free), Johnson, Rachele, Roberts, Andrew, Williams all 2 touches, Sonsie, Wanganeen, Howes and Erasmus 1, JVR 0. Flogging.

Good summary. The WA boys had some excuses. They were placed into quarantine before the game and only allowed to play at the last minute. Either the day of or the day before the game they were ringing around trying to find replacements from the local NAB Cup teams.

They were flogged because Geesook were a match hardened and fit team versus a bunch of talented kids thrown together at the last minute without much cohesion. You can still spot talent though and a few showed genuine talent whilst others generated more questions than answers. Sonsie was the most disappointing of all mentioned but Wanganeen and Callaghan both struggled also. Largely because Geesook just waltzed the ball up the middle uncontested.

 

[tigerdell]

Sonsie had a bad game against Geelong. So did most of his teammates - they lost by 100 points. Not sure how many touches he had but Horne-Francis only had 11. That team came together without much prep, early in the season after no footy last year. It led some to declare there were only eight draftable players in what has turned out to be a pretty deep pool. From memory only Daicos and Johnson impressed and I doubt Johnson got to 15 touches.

As for Sonsie regularly not getting a touch, that's overblown. He had 15 in the game that ended his season. He had 21 twice, one of which he also kicked two goals, 24 (one goal) and 34 (two goals). That's 100 disposals and five goals in his four complete NAB games. Plus 24, six clearances and two goals in his VFL game. In his 21-touch games he was equal-4th and equal-5th for disposals in the match. His 24 was equal-5th.

So, one bad game against Geelong, one game in which he copped a season-ending injury, and five other games in which he averaged 24.96 disposals and 1.4 goals.

Soligo is the only other mid from Ranges who'll get drafted so it's fair to say Sonsie, who was touted as a top-3 pick coming into the year, was getting most of the oppo's attention.

There were similar concerns raised about a kid called Cotchin after McGinnity blanketed him in a state game. I'm not saying Sonsie is Cotch-good, but he is damn good.

Keep fighting the good fight mate

 

[mrposhman]

Does anyone know when Twomeys phantom is due? Does he do it a week out (ie tomorrow) or is it like the day before?

 

[tigerdell]

I would like to trade for Pick 9, but being as it seems likely that Sonsie will be there at 17, I think I'd prefer to use a future pick to trade back in.

Maybe Pick 9 and the Saints 2022 2nd, for our 1st in 2022 and Pick 26 (they will be hoping this pick is before any Owens bid). I'm not sure they'd do it. I think they'd want to have a pick around 20 odd to do it though.

I posted something similar earlier. The trade with the Saints should be in two parts, with pick 26 traded live. This will ensure that the Saints can match any Owens bid with pick 50odd, and then trade in and use pick 26.
It relies on trust between both clubs, which no doubt we have built up such as trades for Higgins and Butler.

A couple of years ago 2 teams did something similar (Swans and Dogs maybe?) and the AFL deemed it legit, even though it was clearly designed to circumvent an academy/FS bid.

 

[mrposhman]

I posted something similar earlier. The trade with the Saints should be in two parts, with pick 26 traded live. This will ensure that the Saints can match any Owens bid with pick 50odd, and then trade in and use pick 26.
It relies on trust between both clubs, which no doubt we have built up such as trades for Higgins and Butler.

A couple of years ago 2 teams did something similar (Swans and Dogs maybe?) and the AFL deemed it legit, even though it was clearly designed to circumvent an academy/FS bid.

Actually yes you could be right, that would work, as if Owens is bid on early (as expected), I think Windhager is more likely 35-40 so a trade of any of our 3 should give them a 2nd in the 20's, whilst also giving them a 1st next year.

If we came out of the first 17 picks with Hobbs, Johnson and Sonsie I'd be ecstatic. Whilst we'd have traded out of our 1st next year, we'd have 3 2nd's.

 

[caesar]

HeraldSun's phantom draft has us getting:

9. Ben Hobbs
17. Josh Sinn
28. Zac Taylor
29. Rhett Bazzo
30. Brady Hough

I believe that is the same podcast I posted above? and Sinn was taken by us at 13 after we traded pick 17 & 30 to Essendon but the same 5 picks are correct meaning Hough with our last pick in the 50's.