bullus_hit said:
Hey bullus - Who do you think in your opinion should we pick up with our first selection and who do you expect to still be available?
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U18 players to watch - 2013
- Thread starter pahoffm
- Start date
Hey bullus - Who do you think in your opinion should we pick up with our first selection and who do you expect to still be available?
mad_doggy911 said:
My preference at the moment would be Lennon, but failing that I'm still undecided between Salem, Taylor & Freeman. Salem & Taylor have a much more rounded game than Freeman, they are genuinely dual-sided and are much better decision makers, but as far as game-breaking qualities are concerned, Freeman's pace and endurance now presents itself as a tantalising prospect. I mentioned on another thread that I'm a little concerned about Freeman's tendency to kick under any circumstance, and that still holds true, but it's not a technical issue and one which a bit of astute coaching may be able to alleviate. Nathan's endurance numbers are a bit of a game-changer now, I don't think he'll take as long to make his mark. In saying that, the guy with the biggest upside is Bontempelli, he's a bigger risk because he's pencil thin, but once he fills out he could become the prototype footballer who can play anywhere on the park. Now that Marcus has put on an extra inch over the past year, I bet recruiters are eyeing him off as a potential key position back or forward. He could be a big bust if he doesn't put on the desired mass, and his sprint times were a bit down, but the upside could be huge.
Definitely some tough choices ahead, but I'm confident we will land a very good footballer.
Thanks for the info.
It sounds like all those you mentioned bar Lennon could most likely still be available at our pick. We do need another runner.
Do you know Hourigan tested? Would he be in our sights for our 2nd rounder?
It sounds like all those you mentioned bar Lennon could most likely still be available at our pick. We do need another runner.
Do you know Hourigan tested? Would he be in our sights for our 2nd rounder?
Would love an explosive Dangerfield type. What does Freeman do wrong apart from kick from contests too much? Does he not get enough of the ball? There must be something because otherwise you think he would be top 5 material!
Pretty sure that he's a diff freeman. Not the one people talking about hereSkillzThatKillz said:
Key questions in the draft
Date
October 6, 2013
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Emma Quayle
Football writer with The Age
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No.2: Josh Kelly is likely to be the second name called. Photo: Sebastian Costanzo
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?
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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#ixzz2gwLx6WYl
Date
October 6, 2013
53 reading nowRead later
Emma Quayle
Football writer with The Age
View more articles from Emma Quayle
Follow Emma on Twitter Email Emma
Pin Itsubmit to redditEmail articlePrint
No.2: Josh Kelly is likely to be the second name called. Photo: Sebastian Costanzo
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?
Advertisement
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#ixzz2gwLx6WYl
Not sure why, but I have a feeling Billings may drop slightly. Am I deluded or is this possible?
BrisTiger24 said:
I thought that early in the season but he's shown some serious promise in the midfield, I'm 90% certain he'll feature in the top ten.
SCOOP said:
If all of Freeman, Billings and Lennon are off the board (looking likely), then who would you choose?
SCOOP said:
I like Crouch but have him marginally behind Salem and Taylor, I guess the deciding factor was kicking ability and the latter are both accurate and dual-sided.
