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2024 Draft Thread
- Thread starter Mr T.
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Reckon he will be as good or better than Jordan DeGoey - who is only half as good as Dusty. I'd be happy with that.
for me best available and I will say again we need kids who can kick a footy and have sound skills.Then why beat around the bush. Trade 6 for 2 and get both Jagga and Lalor.
Reckon this kid could be the steal of draft very talented and will be the Lambert role.AFL Draft hopeful Jesse Dattoli on how his family prepared him for footy and life
Dad Vinny’s six local footy premierships is hard to top but draft hopeful Jesse Dattoli could do that in an instant when his name is called out this week.
Ben Higgins
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3 min read
November 18, 2024 - 1:00PM
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Jesse Dattoli in action for Vic Metro.
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Footy, it’s the Dattoli family business.
Father Vinny Dattoli is a Northern league legend, three-time premiership player and three-time premiership coach.
It’s a record that’s hard to top.
Son, Jesse, could do that in an instant when his name is called out in this week’s AFL Draft.
Touted as a late first-round or early second-round pick, Dattoli is a dangerous midfield-forward that models his game on a mix of Lachie Neale and Toby Greene.
Vinny and a young Jesse Dattoli.
AFL Draft hopeful Jesse Dattoli.
Sitting in on Vinny’s pre-game and half-time team talks and post-game reviews for more than a decade has been formative for Jesse.
However, he says its not intense as some might think.
“I’ve obviously spent at lot of time with him when he’s coaching,” Dattoli said of his dad.
“We go back and watch the vision but as I’ve progressed to Northern (Knights) and Vic Metro, he’s not always in the four walls and doesn’t know the structures, so he doesn’t give too much advice.
“We don’t talk about it as much as people think, you get sick of talking about the same topic a lot.
“You’ve got to be super versatile (in today’s game) and sitting in on dad’s reviews has helped a lot.
“Listening to him talking about the wing and half-forward – positions I wasn’t really used to – I felt well-prepared hearing him talk about those roles.”
After guiding Heidelberg to a third successive NFNL Division 1 premiership, Vinny had a simple message for his son.
“The first thing after the grand final, he said to me ‘now it’s your turn’,” Jesse said.
Dattoli says he feels “super prepared” to head into an AFL environment.
Jesse Dattoli in action during the Coates League testing day.
Not only having a successful coach in the family, he’s got plenty of impressive mentors off the field.
Northern Knights coach Anthony Rocca has been a long-time family friend.
Matt Rowell and Noah Anderson – who won a flag under Vinny at Carey Grammar – often train together in Melbourne.
Former Knights teammate Nate Caddy has been an important sounding board for what it takes to transition from under-18s to the AFL.
“I still talk to Nate, I’ve asked him about going from under-18s to AFL level so I can prepare a little bit,” Dattoli said.
“Ant has helped a lot, I’ve known him since I was young and he’s always helped me out and then he took over at Northern.
“He was hard on me but that’s what I’m used to, especially having my dad be my dad.
“Matt Rowell comes back to Melbourne every now and then and we do some training, Luke Boyd has been massive organising my strength and conditioning, which has helped me drop my 2km by 27 seconds.”
Dattoli was a key member of Vic Metro’s Under-18 National Championships winning squad, averaging 15 disposals and seven marks and kicking three goals in four matches.
He averaged 23 possessions, four clearances and kicked 12 goals in seven Coates League games for Northern.
AFL Draft expert Kevin Sheehan has compared him to Hawthorn’s Dylan Moore.
“A crafty small forward-midfielder who can mark well overhead for his size and excel in big moments for his team,” Sheehan said.
The Ivanhoe junior is a Collingwood supporter and has spoken to every club ahead of Thursday’s first round.
Dattoli would love to hear his name called on the first night, with projections suggesting Richmond or GWS Giants in the picks 19-25 range, and he is more than comfortable heading interstate.
“It’s a bit different for me with my sister playing tennis see spends a lot of time away from home with my mum so I’m pretty independent,” he said.
“A lot of the messages have been super positive from the clubs but once you get to the pointy end they don’t give much information.
“It’s more about how you feel coming to us and how you fit into their environment.”
My ex used to play that on repeat all Xmas Eve and Xmas Day.
My own personal Hell.
I'll leave a shop if they Play that garbage over the PA.
To early for Allan for a guy with suspected kicking maybe smokescreen
Lindsay for me Bully is a better verson of Travaglia and there is a few under them good value.
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AFL Draft 2024: The making of ‘bankable’ young gun Jagga Smith
If there was an award for consistency among this year’s draft crop, Jagga Smith would claim it with ease. Find out why he’s being compared to some of the AFL’s biggest stars.
Chris Cavanaghfollow
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5 min read
November 18, 2024 - 10:46AM
https://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/...ory/9cfc6068b961ff5c2c94b83a5b528e32#comments
Draft news
One recruiter remarked recently that if there was an award for consistency this year, Jagga Smith would have won it.
His Oakleigh Chargers talent manager, Alex Davey, goes further.
He says he hasn’t seen Smith play a bad game in three years.
“I’ve seen him play 40 or 50 games of football and probably not one bad one in there,” Davey said.
“He just finds his way to impose himself on the game and reminds me a little bit of a Nick Daicos at the same age. He’s very evasive, a great decision maker and he certainly has no problem finding the footy.”
Smith made headlines earlier this year when he gathered 50 disposals in one game for Oakleigh – but it wasn’t a major outlier compared to the rest of his campaign.
Across 12 games for the Chargers, he averaged 33.8 disposals.
He was also averaged 29.3 disposals across four matches for Vic Metro at the under-18 national championships.
Jagga Smith in action for Vic Metro this year. Picture: Paul Kane/AFL Photos
“For me it starts at training,” Smith said of his incredible consistency.
“I try to train at a pretty high level so that when I go out on game day it all feels pretty natural.
“I’ve also been pretty fortunate through my junior pathway that coaches have given me a lot of belief and trust to play important roles in the midfield, which helps a bit with consistency.
“I go into every game really confident that I’m going to perform my role for the team and impact games. That comes through training hard and doing extra work.”
Some players are consistently brilliant in underage football, but struggle with the step up to seniors.
Not Smith.
He also racked up 31 disposals in an eye-catching VFL debut for Richmond in July.
“That was a big thing this year, playing against senior bodies in the VFL,” Smith said.
“I think I can build on my performances at VFL level, but they do give me confidence that with a full pre-season at AFL level, I’ll be able to hopefully impact next year at the top level. I know I’ll have to earn my spot first, though.”
LEADING FROM THE FRONT
At the start of the year, Smith sat down with Chargers coach Ash Close to set some goals.One of the biggest ones was further developing his leadership.
Smith was appointed captain of the Chargers and also went on to serve as skipper of Vic Metro.
He collected plenty of individual honours throughout the year – including winning Oakleigh’s best-and-fairest award and finishing equal-third in the Coates Talent League’s Morrish Medal count.
But what he was most proud of from a personal standpoint was being named captain of the under-18 All-Australian side after leading Vic Metro to the national championships title.
Smith starred with the AFL Academy side. Picture: Michael Willson/AFL Photos
And with Oakleigh Chargers in the Coates League. Picture: Kelly Defina/AFL Photos
“I’m really proud of my leadership and my ability to drive standards at training as a leader,” Smith said.
“I wouldn’t say I was born to be a leader but I would say I’ve really improved on it this year and it’s something I’m really interested in being at the next level.”
Vic Metro coach Rob Harding has compared Smith to three-time Richmond premiership captain Trent Cotchin.
“Whichever club picks him in the draft, they’re going to get a leader,” Harding said.
“He’s going to walk in, he’s going to learn from the leaders they’ve got, but then he’s going to put his own stamp on it at some point, too. He’s got club captain written all over him in the future.”
TOUGH COOKIE
When they went to write a final report on Smith post-season, one recruiter said they were searching for a word that encapsulated the 18-year-old.They landed on ‘tough’.
“He’s worn some big hits, Jagga, and I’ve never seen him stay down,” the recruiter said.
“He’s such a light body and it’s so hard to go out there and wear the hits and not show it.”
Smith has added a few kilograms to his frame this year with his work in the gym, but hasn’t looked to overdo it.
His mix of being nimble on his feet and being able to wear the big hits has meant size and weight has not been a huge concern.
“I’m pretty durable and I have been throughout the junior pathways,” Smith said.
“I think I can take a couple of hits, which is handy because I know it just gets tougher at the next level.”
Arguably the AFL’s toughest player – Port Adelaide’s Zak Butters – reached out to Smith in recent weeks.
Smith has said all year that Butters is a player he looks up to, being a similar-sized onballer.
“He’s a smaller body but he’s probably the most courageous player in the AFL,” Smith said.
“For him to reach out to me as an 18-year-old kid who looks up to him is really inspiring.
“He offered me a bit of advice on what’s to come at the next level. He’s just said get into the club early and really earn the respect of your teammates and put in the hard yards and the rewards will come. He also said to play to your strengths, use my quick feet and have confidence in yourself.”
‘BANKABLE’
Recruiters note that many of this year’s top-10 draft prospects are “not bulletproof”, given many have had injury and form issues this year.However, Smith has been labelled “bankable”, as a player who scouts have no doubt will deliver at the next level.
Carlton, Adelaide and Melbourne hold top-five draft selections and have all been strongly linked to Smith.
While the Crows would mean a move interstate, any Demons training at Gosch’s Paddock would be just down the road for the boy who has grown up in Richmond but barracks for Collingwood given his father, Michael, was drafted to the Magpies in 1988.
“He was 16 when he moved up from Tasmania to Melbourne when he got drafted,” Smith said of his dad.
“So he’s taught me about the sacrifices it takes to get to the top level and that’s something that’s really stuck with me – the sacrifices you need to make it in the AFL.”
Michael is now the grounds manager at Scotch College – where Smith finished school last year – while mum Kimelle works for the MCC.
“They both love their sport,” Smith said of his parents.
So, too, does their son, who also represented Vic Metro in basketball at under-15 level and began a Business and Sports management degree at Deakin University alongside his football duties this year.
“I’ve put my best foot forward, I think, to be a high pick in the draft,” Smith said.
“Now it’s just up to the clubs to see how they view it.
“I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous, not knowing where I’m going to end up. But I’m just really keen to hopefully hear my name read out on Wednesday.”
Dodson can push forward but at the moment he's a double grab player, this is one area I expect major improvement. His positioning is generally ok, I would just like him to be a bit more authoritative when he clamps onto the ball. In saying that, he's a ruck first & foremost, his stats in the under 18s really excellent for a ruck. The clearance work is elite, 4.6 a match really impressive, his agility also being undersold, his change of direction is very impressive, you can see the basketball pedigree. His kicking will also improve, he looks awkward now but he's still growing, these guys have to constantly adjust their ball drop during their growth spurt. Once he's full grown he will be able to give his skills a good spit and polish.
I have those two neck & neck, they are my preferred prospects at 10 & 11, either or both totally fine by me.
Geez, that’s a worryingly long injury list. Can anyone name a player in recent times that had that kind of injury history pre draft but turned out okay?
im with bullus, dud delist and others on this. it clearly seems the top 4 mids are lalor fos jagga langford.
draper would also be in there if crows want home grown. but thats it. thats the top 5 mid pack.
Smillie is not part of this top 5 bracket.
so to me it makes perfect sense to trade 6 and 18 ( i think north would even accept 20 or 23) for 2 and something back next year.
put it this way, would you rather 2 players from the top 4 bracket or 1 player from there and then smille from the next bracket?
to me its quite simple!
with pick 1 you dont want to get an avg/ok player. lalor could be a game breaker, he could become a good avg player also. and injuries....?
Jagga is a future captain, ala cotchin. but he will get you 30+ disposals a game.
so safe number 1 is Jagga. very good accummulator and a captain who will train hard set good standards for the club.
go for the boom pick lalor at 2. too much heat on 1 for a player who could be a boom but could also be avg good.
6 or 2, to me its quite clear cut !!
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If the big 5 mids are all off the board. It does make sense to take Tauru at 6. Like you both say, we get the most talented tall and can then focus other types for the remainder of the draft. Definitely has some merit.
However if one of the 5 get through (and sounds like Draper is a chance). Reckon you gotta take him. Suits our needs absolutely perfectly and deserves to sit right alongside the others. Only caveat is any off-field stuff that not privy too. But he's a serious footballer with more runs on the board than nearly everyone and has some traits we badly need that no-one else in this draft has - ball winning, clearance midfielder with electric turn of foot. They are gold.
Saying that it does seem like the club will take Big Willie ahead of them both.
Twomey has called it to North. That's good enough to Leysy to move on.
Twomey gave the impression we have no interest in Draper which was surprising, maybe it’s just we’ve been thinking there’s no way he gets to 6
Are you concerned by Draper's kicking? I see a player who has a tendency to kick floaters without much depth. Knowing FJ's penchant for good kicks I can understand the reluctance. Smillie is a better kick than Draper, that to me will be the deciding factor.
