Key questions in the draft
Date
October 6, 2013
Emma Quayle
WHO'S THE BEST?
Tom Boyd should be the No.1 pick, and will be. You don't pass up 200-centimetre marking forwards who kick accurately, even if you're Greater Western Sydney and already have Jeremy Cameron and Jon Patton. They'll find room for all three easily enough. Recruiting Boyd will mean Patton should feel less pressure to rush back from his knee injury, and Boyd provides a slight point of difference to that pair. He doesn't like throwing players around like Patton and he doesn't roam like Cameron, but he reads the ball as well as both and is mobile and big enough to pinch-hit in the ruck.
There are plenty of good midfielders in this group, but Boyd has them matched for talent, and with Jesse Hogan already at Melbourne he is by far the best of his type. The Giants won't get another shot at another tall forward like him. On top of that, he's a smart, sensible young man, a mature one who understands the world he will be stepping into and what it will demand of him. Boyd could have given up on the season when he badly injured his ankle in June; instead he kept working hard at his rehabilitation program and was able to get back, play in the TAC Cup grand final after three months out and help the Eastern Ranges win its first premiership in years. It was impressive.
WHO'S NEXT?
There's a bunch of them. My pick would be Josh Kelly, an onballer who reminded everyone of his relentless attitude by running a 9.32 three-kilometre time trial on the final day of the combine - three seconds off the record - less than a day after reaching level 15 in the beep test. He's not necessarily a flashy player, and is still developing his inside game, but he does everything to an extremely high level, a bit like Andrew Gaff did in his draft year, has skill and poise, and is so diligent that it's hard to see him not becoming an excellent AFL player. Matt Scharenberg is a 190-centimetre utility who could play in a number of positions, and James Aish is about to play in his second SANFL grand final as a 17-year-old who has come back from a shoulder reconstruction and dealt with being tagged. He has class. There's a lot of love, too, for Jack Billings, whose season has been unsettled by niggling injuries and recently had minor knee surgery. He'll be drafted as a smart forward - perhaps the classiest player in the draft - but has scope to become a midfielder.
… AND THEN?
Ben Lennon will be picked high, but hasn't proven himself as a midfielder and will be picked as one of the smartest forwards in it, with one of the sharpest kicks. Cameron McCarthy is an athletic, marking forward likely to push up the order despite missing the second half of the year with a broken leg, and Kade Kolodjashnij and Marcus Bontempelli are smooth-moving half-backs who could move up the ground. But the first round will be filled mostly with onballers. Lewis Taylor has dash - he's a give-and-goer, a player who takes the game on. Nathan Freeman has some explosiveness and Billy Hartung is quick, smart and able to keep going. He broke Brad Hill's beep-test record at the combine, reaching level 16.6. Those three have the most speed, but there are plenty of others to pick from. Expect Christian Salem, Dom Sheed, Trent Dumont, Luke Dunstan, Matt Crouch and Blake Acres to feature in the first 18-20 picks.
WHERE ARE THE TALL FORWARDS?
There aren't many, at least in the first batch. Boyd is the clear first choice, but McCarthy is one who could push right up into the top 10. He wasn't really on the radar before this year, but forced his way into the West Australian team late and looked like he belonged there.
He throws himself at the ball, loves taking marks, and reads the play instinctively. Mitch Harvey played well for South Australia in the national championships, and Jonathon Marsh is an interesting prospect. He's 192 centimetres, doesn't play like your usual key forward and is more of a roamer, but is super quick and can do some quirky, unexpected things. Some clubs struggle to see where he'd fit in and wouldn't pick him, but he'll appeal to someone. A couple of key defenders could go reasonably early, too: Darcy Gardiner and Tom Cutler.
WHERE ARE THE RUCKMEN?
They're harder to spot and it's hard to see any of them getting picked before, say, the high 20s or 30s. Ben Brown, who played for Werribee this year, could be first off the block, with Tasmanian Toby Nankervis and West Australian Rory Lobb in the mix.
WILL DAYLE GARLETT GET A CHANCE?
It's hard to say right now. He only needs one club to call his name to get a chance, after being very publicly overlooked last year, but many remain dubious. That's largely to do with his perceived lack of discipline off the field, but it's important to note that he is very much a work in progress as a footballer, too.
Garlett has exceptional skill and creativity, and has shown both at senior level in WA. But he doesn't yet have the endurance to play in the midfield and, as a forward, doesn't show a natural inclination to chase, tackle and harass.
Combine that with the off-field stuff, and and he's no certainty at all to get a go this year. He wants a shot, he's played well, he has some fierce defenders at Swan Districts and he has made some important changes to his life this year, settling down somewhat, losing weight, becoming fitter and limiting the partying.
In his favour is the fact that there aren't all that many dynamic players in this year's group, but it was disappointing to hear that he didn't show for one of his club interviews this week.
His best chance might be with one of the few clubs taking more than three or four picks, or as a rookie, in which case clubs would have to give him only a one-year contract and he'd arrive knowing that if he mucks up once, he'll be gone.
LUKE MCDONALD FOR PICK 8 - A GOOD DEAL?
Absolutely. A better result for North Melbourne, of course, would have been to make the finals and get their father-son pick in the early teens.
But No. 8 is fair for a player who many clubs would have rated inside the top 10.
As a footballer, McDonald is naturally competitive, someone who influences what happens around him. He's a little like Hawthorn's Luke Hodge in the way he can start on the half-back line and crash in through the middle, and he looked very comfortable playing in the VFL finals this year.
He has a warm personality and is a player who draws his peers to him. Channel that the right way, as he has done so far, and he'll be a future leader at North.
Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/key-questions-in-the-draft-20131005-2v13o.html#ixzz2gz3JkF1c
Date
October 6, 2013
Emma Quayle
WHO'S THE BEST?
Tom Boyd should be the No.1 pick, and will be. You don't pass up 200-centimetre marking forwards who kick accurately, even if you're Greater Western Sydney and already have Jeremy Cameron and Jon Patton. They'll find room for all three easily enough. Recruiting Boyd will mean Patton should feel less pressure to rush back from his knee injury, and Boyd provides a slight point of difference to that pair. He doesn't like throwing players around like Patton and he doesn't roam like Cameron, but he reads the ball as well as both and is mobile and big enough to pinch-hit in the ruck.
There are plenty of good midfielders in this group, but Boyd has them matched for talent, and with Jesse Hogan already at Melbourne he is by far the best of his type. The Giants won't get another shot at another tall forward like him. On top of that, he's a smart, sensible young man, a mature one who understands the world he will be stepping into and what it will demand of him. Boyd could have given up on the season when he badly injured his ankle in June; instead he kept working hard at his rehabilitation program and was able to get back, play in the TAC Cup grand final after three months out and help the Eastern Ranges win its first premiership in years. It was impressive.
WHO'S NEXT?
There's a bunch of them. My pick would be Josh Kelly, an onballer who reminded everyone of his relentless attitude by running a 9.32 three-kilometre time trial on the final day of the combine - three seconds off the record - less than a day after reaching level 15 in the beep test. He's not necessarily a flashy player, and is still developing his inside game, but he does everything to an extremely high level, a bit like Andrew Gaff did in his draft year, has skill and poise, and is so diligent that it's hard to see him not becoming an excellent AFL player. Matt Scharenberg is a 190-centimetre utility who could play in a number of positions, and James Aish is about to play in his second SANFL grand final as a 17-year-old who has come back from a shoulder reconstruction and dealt with being tagged. He has class. There's a lot of love, too, for Jack Billings, whose season has been unsettled by niggling injuries and recently had minor knee surgery. He'll be drafted as a smart forward - perhaps the classiest player in the draft - but has scope to become a midfielder.
… AND THEN?
Ben Lennon will be picked high, but hasn't proven himself as a midfielder and will be picked as one of the smartest forwards in it, with one of the sharpest kicks. Cameron McCarthy is an athletic, marking forward likely to push up the order despite missing the second half of the year with a broken leg, and Kade Kolodjashnij and Marcus Bontempelli are smooth-moving half-backs who could move up the ground. But the first round will be filled mostly with onballers. Lewis Taylor has dash - he's a give-and-goer, a player who takes the game on. Nathan Freeman has some explosiveness and Billy Hartung is quick, smart and able to keep going. He broke Brad Hill's beep-test record at the combine, reaching level 16.6. Those three have the most speed, but there are plenty of others to pick from. Expect Christian Salem, Dom Sheed, Trent Dumont, Luke Dunstan, Matt Crouch and Blake Acres to feature in the first 18-20 picks.
WHERE ARE THE TALL FORWARDS?
There aren't many, at least in the first batch. Boyd is the clear first choice, but McCarthy is one who could push right up into the top 10. He wasn't really on the radar before this year, but forced his way into the West Australian team late and looked like he belonged there.
He throws himself at the ball, loves taking marks, and reads the play instinctively. Mitch Harvey played well for South Australia in the national championships, and Jonathon Marsh is an interesting prospect. He's 192 centimetres, doesn't play like your usual key forward and is more of a roamer, but is super quick and can do some quirky, unexpected things. Some clubs struggle to see where he'd fit in and wouldn't pick him, but he'll appeal to someone. A couple of key defenders could go reasonably early, too: Darcy Gardiner and Tom Cutler.
WHERE ARE THE RUCKMEN?
They're harder to spot and it's hard to see any of them getting picked before, say, the high 20s or 30s. Ben Brown, who played for Werribee this year, could be first off the block, with Tasmanian Toby Nankervis and West Australian Rory Lobb in the mix.
WILL DAYLE GARLETT GET A CHANCE?
It's hard to say right now. He only needs one club to call his name to get a chance, after being very publicly overlooked last year, but many remain dubious. That's largely to do with his perceived lack of discipline off the field, but it's important to note that he is very much a work in progress as a footballer, too.
Garlett has exceptional skill and creativity, and has shown both at senior level in WA. But he doesn't yet have the endurance to play in the midfield and, as a forward, doesn't show a natural inclination to chase, tackle and harass.
Combine that with the off-field stuff, and and he's no certainty at all to get a go this year. He wants a shot, he's played well, he has some fierce defenders at Swan Districts and he has made some important changes to his life this year, settling down somewhat, losing weight, becoming fitter and limiting the partying.
In his favour is the fact that there aren't all that many dynamic players in this year's group, but it was disappointing to hear that he didn't show for one of his club interviews this week.
His best chance might be with one of the few clubs taking more than three or four picks, or as a rookie, in which case clubs would have to give him only a one-year contract and he'd arrive knowing that if he mucks up once, he'll be gone.
LUKE MCDONALD FOR PICK 8 - A GOOD DEAL?
Absolutely. A better result for North Melbourne, of course, would have been to make the finals and get their father-son pick in the early teens.
But No. 8 is fair for a player who many clubs would have rated inside the top 10.
As a footballer, McDonald is naturally competitive, someone who influences what happens around him. He's a little like Hawthorn's Luke Hodge in the way he can start on the half-back line and crash in through the middle, and he looked very comfortable playing in the VFL finals this year.
He has a warm personality and is a player who draws his peers to him. Channel that the right way, as he has done so far, and he'll be a future leader at North.
Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/key-questions-in-the-draft-20131005-2v13o.html#ixzz2gz3JkF1c
