2021 Draft Thread | PUNT ROAD END | Richmond Tigers Forum
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2021 Draft Thread

Would be worthwhile to look at the Higgins trade and how that ended up?

Moved from 21 - 17 and got their second round draft pick back that we used for our last pick I believe.

Would be interested to see how people rated this call in the end.
I think Higgins was an ok pick, Oscar Allen was the one I'd take in hindsight but I wouldn't rate Higgins a bad pick. His stats this year were perfectly acceptable apart from missed shots on goal. Our last pick was Luke English, that doesn't square things up in light of missing Allen.

Just went to revisit my top 50.

1. Luke Davies-Uniacke (4)
2. Jaidyn Stephenson (6)
3. Andrew Brayshaw (2)
4. Adam Cerra (5)
5. Cam Rayner (1)
6. Darcy Fogarty (12)
7. Paddy Dow (3)
8. Aiden Bonar (11)
9. Jack Higgins (17)
10. Nicholas Coffield (8)
11. Noah Balta (25)
12. Oscar Allen (21)
13. Hunter Clark (7)
14. Lochie O'Brien (10)
15. Jarrod Brander (13)
16. Connor Ballenden (43)
17. Lachlan Fogarty (22)
18. Zac Bailey (15)
19. James Worpel (45)
20. Joel Garner (60)
21. Sam Taylor (28)
22. Patrick Naish (34)
23. Aaron Naughton (9)
24. Jack Petruccelle (38)
25. Kyron Hayden (62)
26. Jordan Houlahan (49)
27. Tim Kelly (24)
28. Nathan Murphy (39)
29. Ed Richards (16)
30. Matthew Ling (14)
31. Hugh Dixon (44)
32. Andrew McPherson (40)
33. Oscar Clavarino (35)
34. Jake Patmore (58)
35. Charlie Constable (36)
36. Harrison Petty (37)
37. Brent Daniels (27)
38. Ryley Stoddart (53)
39. Gryan Miers (57)
40. Charlie Ballard (42)
41. Brayden Ainsworth (32)
42. Sam Hayes (47)
43. Mitch Crowden (59)
44. Charlie Spargo (29)
45. Ben Paton (46)
46. Nick Shipley (64)
47. Tom McCartin (33)
48. Will Walker (23)
49. Brayden Crossley (52)
50. Ben Miller (63)

Apart from Naughton I think my rankings have held up ok, it's not looking like a great draft to be honest, I think Richmond have done exceedingly well grabbing Balta.
 
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Reckon the cats took him coz the were *smile* frightened of his oldman who lives down the road. Yeah I know he shouldn't be held accountable for the sins of his father..... (whom I know a bit about:rolleyes:)

I remember this night when Taylor interviewed him.... never realised Tim Gossage was stupid enough to put the word fun in a tweet related to blokes being king hit!

 
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hes THE most dysfunctionally one-sided and aesthetically displeasing footballer ive ever seen at AFL level
His kicking action is like something out of Karate Kid VII, but for a junk pick ok, they seem to love him down at the Cattery.
 
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If you scan the best rebounders in the comp you will see they can be sourced from anywhere outside the top 20, history doesn't lie where this is concerned and the fact we picked up Bach for a packet of crisps should have been our historical yardstick.

Short - rookie draft
Saad - rookie draft
Lloyd - rookie draft
Crisp - pick 86
Ryan - pick 66
Daniel - pick 46

Got to play the percentages, this is what I'm alluding to when I call out a reach in the context of meeting our list requirements. The downside of Brown should also have come into consideration because we're talking outright bust if his contested game falls apart at the next level. I don't share the same concerns with Johnson, I think his role is simply too valuable and he's the most likely to take over from Mundy when he decides to hang up the boots. Guys with Johnson's height can also be thrown around the park a bit so his floor is much higher.

I'd argue this is the opposite of playing the percentages. I reckon you are doing a bit of cherry picking. To use your category of 'best rebounders':

Ridley 14, Rich 7, Salem 9, Hill 33, Smith 14, Wilson underage recruit to GWS, so elite by any measure, Ash 4, Burton 14, Impey 21, Lukosious 13.

4 top 10s (thats including Wilson, which is debateable sure), 8 top 20s.

I'd argue the premium HBF/ distributors, or 'best rebounders' generally come from premium picks. Granted, not as premium as the gun mids in terms of average pick (teens rather than top 10), but premium nonetheless, and also I would doff to your arguement by saying that the percentage of late picks in the 'best rebounder' category would be higher than the 'best mids category.

Considering all the above, there is some merit in your argument, but it is a huge stretch to suggest that gun rebound defenders can be easily sourced with late picks.

Cream still rises to the top, if you need a gun rebound defender, playing the percentages is in fact using a top 20 pick.

Now to pre empt any protestations, this was a very quick and dirty exercise, or as you suggested, a 'scan'. I randomly selected a round (r12) and picked the player named on the HBF who had the a) highest profile, and b) was most reboundey, to follow your categorisation. Always hard to compare apples and oranges.
 
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I see Essendon has wasted no time inviting tex wanganeen to train over summer.

How does permission to train work? is it first-in, best dressed?

Hope we've got the paperwork in for Ronny
 
I think Higgins was an ok pick, Oscar Allen was the one I'd take in hindsight but I wouldn't rate Higgins a bad pick. His stats this year were perfectly acceptable apart from missed shots on goal. Our last pick was Luke English, that doesn't square things up in light of missing Allen.

Just went to revisit my top 50.

1. Luke Davies-Uniacke (4)
2. Jaidyn Stephenson (6)
3. Andrew Brayshaw (2)
4. Adam Cerra (5)
5. Cam Rayner (1)
6. Darcy Fogarty (12)
7. Paddy Dow (3)
8. Aiden Bonar (11)
9. Jack Higgins (17)
10. Nicholas Coffield (8)
11. Noah Balta (25)
12. Oscar Allen (21)
13. Hunter Clark (7)
14. Lochie O'Brien (10)
15. Jarrod Brander (13)
16. Connor Ballenden (43)
17. Lachlan Fogarty (22)
18. Zac Bailey (15)
19. James Worpel (45)
20. Joel Garner (60)
21. Sam Taylor (28)
22. Patrick Naish (34)
23. Aaron Naughton (9)
24. Jack Petruccelle (38)
25. Kyron Hayden (62)
26. Jordan Houlahan (49)
27. Tim Kelly (24)
28. Nathan Murphy (39)
29. Ed Richards (16)
30. Matthew Ling (14)
31. Hugh Dixon (44)
32. Andrew McPherson (40)
33. Oscar Clavarino (35)
34. Jake Patmore (58)
35. Charlie Constable (36)
36. Harrison Petty (37)
37. Brent Daniels (27)
38. Ryley Stoddart (53)
39. Gryan Miers (57)
40. Charlie Ballard (42)
41. Brayden Ainsworth (32)
42. Sam Hayes (47)
43. Mitch Crowden (59)
44. Charlie Spargo (29)
45. Ben Paton (46)
46. Nick Shipley (64)
47. Tom McCartin (33)
48. Will Walker (23)
49. Brayden Crossley (52)
50. Ben Miller (63)

Apart from Naughton I think my rankings have held up ok, it's not looking like a great draft to be honest, I think Richmond have done exceedingly well grabbing Balta.

You didn't have CCJ in your top 50?
 
We draft all players for 2-3 years out, not next year.
I'm glad you mentioned this @bob, as it's one of those things people believe only because it's repeated over and over.

Clubs draft players for a 10-year career. How quickly or slowly they develop is down to the individual and variables such as whether or not there is a spot for them in the senior 22.

Take last year's draft as an example. Will Phillips played 16 games in his first year. Nik Cox played 22. Lachie Jones played 6 and would have played more if not for injury. Max Holmes played 12. Jake Bowey played in a premiership in his first year. Caleb Poulter was excellent on the way to 11 games. I could go on. Gulden. Rowe. Ford. Highmore. Macrae. Powell. McDonald. Thilthorpe.

All first year players, all making an impact within months, not years, of being drafted.

The idea guys sit in the reserves for years is old-style thinking. In fact, when it happens, they tend to want to up and leave for more opportunities. Think Constable, Butler, Atkins, Markov, Hind, CCJ, Dunstan, Brodie, Kreuger, Lipinski, Lynch, Pittonet, Cutler, etc, from the past couple of years.

Looking at the 2021 draft, you can't tell me someone like Greg Clark or Garrett McDonagh was drafted to play in the ressies. You can draft for immediate needs.

And when you're in the premiership window, which history shows can be brief, it's a legitimate option, isn't it?
 
I think Higgins was an ok pick, Oscar Allen was the one I'd take in hindsight but I wouldn't rate Higgins a bad pick. His stats this year were perfectly acceptable apart from missed shots on goal. Our last pick was Luke English, that doesn't square things up in light of missing Allen.

Just went to revisit my top 50.

1. Luke Davies-Uniacke (4)
2. Jaidyn Stephenson (6)
3. Andrew Brayshaw (2)
4. Adam Cerra (5)
5. Cam Rayner (1)
6. Darcy Fogarty (12)
7. Paddy Dow (3)
8. Aiden Bonar (11)
9. Jack Higgins (17)
10. Nicholas Coffield (8)
11. Noah Balta (25)
12. Oscar Allen (21)
13. Hunter Clark (7)
14. Lochie O'Brien (10)
15. Jarrod Brander (13)
16. Connor Ballenden (43)
17. Lachlan Fogarty (22)
18. Zac Bailey (15)
19. James Worpel (45)
20. Joel Garner (60)
21. Sam Taylor (28)
22. Patrick Naish (34)
23. Aaron Naughton (9)
24. Jack Petruccelle (38)
25. Kyron Hayden (62)
26. Jordan Houlahan (49)
27. Tim Kelly (24)
28. Nathan Murphy (39)
29. Ed Richards (16)
30. Matthew Ling (14)
31. Hugh Dixon (44)
32. Andrew McPherson (40)
33. Oscar Clavarino (35)
34. Jake Patmore (58)
35. Charlie Constable (36)
36. Harrison Petty (37)
37. Brent Daniels (27)
38. Ryley Stoddart (53)
39. Gryan Miers (57)
40. Charlie Ballard (42)
41. Brayden Ainsworth (32)
42. Sam Hayes (47)
43. Mitch Crowden (59)
44. Charlie Spargo (29)
45. Ben Paton (46)
46. Nick Shipley (64)
47. Tom McCartin (33)
48. Will Walker (23)
49. Brayden Crossley (52)
50. Ben Miller (63)

Apart from Naughton I think my rankings have held up ok, it's not looking like a great draft to be honest, I think Richmond have done exceedingly well grabbing Balta.
Bully was more looking at it from a this years perspective.

Would it have been better holding onto Higgins and using our normal pick or moving up to get 17 this year and 28 I believe.

So Higgins and 21 (Not sure who we could have drafted there) as opposed to Brown and Clarke from this year


Thanks for your thoughts
 
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I'd argue this is the opposite of playing the percentages. I reckon you are doing a bit of cherry picking. To use your category of 'best rebounders':

Ridley 14, Rich 7, Salem 9, Hill 33, Smith 14, Wilson underage recruit to GWS, so elite by any measure, Ash 4, Burton 14, Impey 21, Lukosious 13.

4 top 10s (thats including Wilson, which is debateable sure), 8 top 20s.

I'd argue the premium HBF/ distributors, or 'best rebounders' generally come from premium picks. Granted, not as premium as the gun mids in terms of average pick (teens rather than top 10), but premium nonetheless, and also I would doff to your arguement by saying that the percentage of late picks in the 'best rebounder' category would be higher than the 'best mids category.

Considering all the above, there is some merit in your argument, but it is a huge stretch to suggest that gun rebound defenders can be easily sourced with late picks.

Cream still rises to the top, if you need a gun rebound defender, playing the percentages is in fact using a top 20 pick.

Now to pre empt any protestations, this was a very quick and dirty exercise, or as you suggested, a 'scan'. I randomly selected a round (r12) and picked the player named on the HBF who had the a) highest profile, and b) was most reboundey, to follow your categorisation. Always hard to compare apples and oranges.
I did qualify my statements with a compelling case clause - elite kicking definitely grounds to select in the first round. I think Lukosious will settle in as a forward, probably as early as 2022. Christian Salem fits into the Hurn/Rich category of elite kick. This is where I'm willing to negotiate, Salem was also an athletic freak, in fact he would have been a Tiger if it wasn't for Melbourne spoiling the party. This recruiting caper is such a fine line, Frank looks like a genius if he gets his first preference but looks like a dud when his second preference (Lennon) stinks up his pretty good record up to this point.

For bargain basement rebounders look no further than the state leagues, this is where there are some outstanding deals. If not then roll the dice on a Rory Laird (pick 86). I think if you throw enough darts at the junk end then you come up trumps. This is what I mean by playing the percentages and apportioning risk at various stages in the draft.

If Brown fits into the Rich/Hurn/Salem category of elite kick then no probs, I'm totally on board. Do I genuinely believe he's in that category? Hmmm, I'm not entirely sold but happy to be proven wrong.
 
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Hope we've got the paperwork in for Ronny
Think he's off to train at Tulla too, if I heard correctly?
Apart from their rewriting of history on Foxfooty, they have their own segment on 7 News presented by a completely unbiased Tim Watson nightly.
 
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You didn't have CCJ in your top 50?
Nope, I generally don't like skinny runt ruckmen with average mobility & I wasn't sold on his forward credentials (and I'm still not entirely sold on this facet of his game). To me CCJ was a Chol type project and his selection needed to warrant a truckload of development time.
 
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Bully was more looking at it from a this years perspective.

Would it have been better holding onto Higgins and using our normal pick or moving up to get 17 this year and 28 I believe.

So Higgins and 21 (Not sure who we could have drafted there) as opposed to Brown and Clarke from this year


Thanks for your thoughts
If it's Higgins/Johnson (pick 21) then it's an interesting scenario, I still think Higgins is performing to expectation.
 
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