FT phantom draft

[saintspremiers]

No to Haynes...name is to similar to Nick Heyne,therefore he is no good

It's closer to Hayes, so he'll be a gun.

God, some you lot have NFI!

[MCG-Unit]

No to Haynes...name is to similar to Nick Heyne,therefore he is no good

Yep makes sense. Anyway I think we may draft Alex Woodward. Have heard rumours we are interested.

Alex Woodward Sandringham Dragons 179 / 79 Inside Mid, a fierce tackler, and is quick. (from BF)
2 of the better phantom drafts on BF have him going at 27 & 44

Good to hear they are looking at inside mids, can't have too many of them. Have you watched him play?

Yep I have 3 or 4 times. Actually think he struggles a bit but being an inside mid is obviously always under pressure so hard to really rate him. Others however with a lot more knowledge than me rate him and I know as fact a couple of Saints people were asked to really look out for him.

That's good enough for me on Woodward - very keen on them to take more inside mids.
Gather you would have seen some of the following Sandy Dragons players (in order of how they seem to be rated) What are your thoughts?

Liam Sumner (can't believe he is only 70kg, yet rated top 10 DP)
Jackson Paine, Sam Frost
Then Roberts, Richards & Coleman

I have a bais with Liam as he is a friend of my Daughters. His attitude worries me. A good time guy but good skills and can run. No hope for us. Hadnt seen Paine till the finals as he hardly plays because of school footy. Looks good and could be close to a first rounder for us. That is about where he will go. Frosty is from my club, Ormond. He has the pace but had a poor finals series. Will go in the top 40 and is a risk. Fletcher Roberts was a rookie at best before the GF. Will still go as a rookies IMO. A short ruckman or a reasonably sized tall forward. Coleman will go as a rookie. Overaged player which helps at this level. Richards may go but is slow. Looks and plays exactly like his brother. I wish our club would take the punt with Anastasio but no club will. Port Melbourne for him next year.

Thanks for that summary, maybe the Saints will draft Woodward and hopefully the Saints or someone will Rookie list Anastasio.
Went back and edited my post to include Anastasio & Woodward (after Sumner).. (you had already commented on Woodward)

And thirty-seven, good on you for finding that link on Watters talking about the WAFL players.

[Saints94]

No to Haynes...name is to similar to Nick Heyne,therefore he is no good

Yep makes sense. Anyway I think we may draft Alex Woodward. Have heard rumours we are interested.

Alex Woodward Sandringham Dragons 179 / 79 Inside Mid, a fierce tackler, and is quick. (from BF)
2 of the better phantom drafts on BF have him going at 27 & 44

Good to hear they are looking at inside mids, can't have too many of them. Have you watched him play?

Yep I have 3 or 4 times. Actually think he struggles a bit but being an inside mid is obviously always under pressure so hard to really rate him. Others however with a lot more knowledge than me rate him and I know as fact a couple of Saints people were asked to really look out for him.

That's good enough for me on Woodward - very keen on them to take more inside mids.
Gather you would have seen some of the following Sandy Dragons players (in order of how they seem to be rated) What are your thoughts?

Liam Sumner (can't believe he is only 70kg, yet rated top 10 DP)
Jackson Paine, Sam Frost
Then Roberts, Richards & Coleman

I have a bais with Liam as he is a friend of my Daughters. His attitude worries me. A good time guy but good skills and can run. No hope for us. Hadnt seen Paine till the finals as he hardly plays because of school footy. Looks good and could be close to a first rounder for us. That is about where he will go. Frosty is from my club, Ormond. He has the pace but had a poor finals series. Will go in the top 40 and is a risk. Fletcher Roberts was a rookie at best before the GF. Will still go as a rookies IMO. A short ruckman or a reasonably sized tall forward. Coleman will go as a rookie. Overaged player which helps at this level. Richards may go but is slow. Looks and plays exactly like his brother. I wish our club would take the punt with Anastasio but no club will. Port Melbourne for him next year.

Thanks for that summary, maybe the Saints will draft Woodward and hopefully the Saints or someone will Rookie list Anastasio.
Went back and edited my post to include Woodward after Sumner..
(you had already commented on Woodward)

And thirty-seven, good on you for finding that link on Watters talking about the WAFL players.

I hope we dont draft Woodward with our first pick...

[Davo027]

Yes Nick Haynes would be a good pick up- B & F at the Stingrays, Frankston boy & barracks for the Saints

[thirty-seven!?]

Finished the drafting for Saints now...

Overall I am pretty happy with my drafting. Of course, like everyone else will likely do, I can find some flaws in my strategy. Still, I have kept to my brief, with five of my seven player being over 190cm. I have drafted one mature-aged ruckman who still has plenty of development potential. One tall forward and another forward/ruckman. I have two tall wingmen with good skills, both also capable of playing forward. I took the best full-back in the draft and also grabbed a 187cm outside midfielder with good speed. The majority of players drafted also fit within my conditions of having good skills, leadership ability and speed. Ideally, I would have drafted an inside midfielder, but I don’t know who I’d sacrifice. That said, with several VFL players currently training with the club (Marigliani, Magner, Dowler, Hughes, Hallahan, Lourey and Casley), my hope will be to get a few of them onto my list in the rookie draft. The likes of Magner and Marigliani will fit the ‘inside midfielder’ bill very nicely, and would both be ready to go at AFL level. I actually expect that the Saints will take almost exclusively mature-aged VFL/WAFL players in the rookie draft as a way of balancing their 21-25 age bracket. A great idea IMO, considering the lack of depth in this draft. With four rookies (Archer, Ferguson, Curren and Andreoli) still on the list, and the Saints likely to bring their veteran’s inside the list (and therefore get two more rookies, hence reducing their much-publicised TPP), we should get at least another FOUR rookie picks this year, which is pretty good. Watters has also commented on an interest in drafting Horsely and Salecic from WA, so that will be interesting to watch too - Horsely may require a ND pick, whereas Salecic would go in the rookie draft. I am also wondering if someone like Wilkes will be given a shot at the Saints, considering he can fill a hole at either FF or FB. Also, with ex-Claremont coach, McPhee now at Saints, there is a decent link. Anyway, will look forward to hearing the thoughts of others on my picks!

#25 ST.KILDA: DANIEL MARKWORTH
Height: 189cm, Weight: 78kg, DOB: 03/04/1992
Recruited from: Calder Cannons

My intentions were always to take a tall forward with this pick, but the few I had my eye on for this pick have already been snaffled up. Instead I will get more talls later with some of my three 2nd round picks.

Markworth is another ‘project’ player in this draft, but has shown us the right attributes to make us think he will make it. His pace is sensational, especially off the mark – a trait we are craving at St.Kilda. He also has a decent kick on him with good accuracy and penetration. He has only been in the system for four years, so there is plenty of potential there, and he has continued to get better and better with each season.
Drafting Markworth could really kill two birds with one stone for the Saints – he has the ability to either play on a HFF, or as an inside midfielder – two positions which the Saints are lacking in. Hence, he could be groomed for either pretty easily.
Whilst he has a long way to go before playing seniors, I am going to back in our new youth development program, as well as the fact he has a good head on his shoulders (studying biomedicine after a very high VCE score) and seems determined to succeed. Has all the right attributes to make it as a footballer, and if he continues the same progression over the coming years, could well be one of the best selections in this draft.


#35 ST.KILDA: NICK HAYNES

Height: 192cm, Weight: 78kg, DOB: 15.5.92
Recruited from: Dandenong Stingrays

Haynes is a tall, athletic forward, capable of pushing up through the middle. As I have mentioned before, the Saints will certainly be targeting some key forwards in this draft, and whilst Haynes doesn’t project as a tall key forward, his athleticism (he ran a 14.13 in the beep test at this year’s draft combine), height and fantastic marking strength overhead will all be great assets up forward. Think of him as a forward version of Sam Gilbert. Honestly, I simply couldn’t let him slip any further down the order – considered him very closely for my first pick, so stoked to see him land here.

Haynes is a little older than most of the other draftees and took some time off from football after a pretty significant elbow injury. He won the Dandenong Stingray’s B&F this year in a season that saw him poll in 10 of 13 games. He is still developing and certainly wouldn’t be as AFL ready as some other draftees, but he certainly possesses many of the right attributes to make him a very good project player. If our future forward line of Rhys Stanley, Arryn Siposs and Aamed Saad all develop as hoped, the addition of Haynes would certainly make it very exciting, possibly being able to take up CHF in a number of years if he can hit the gym enough and fill out his wirery frame.

#37 ST.KILDA: MICHAEL TALIA

Height: 192cm, Weight: 87kg, DOB: 11.2.93
Recruited from: Calder Cannons

Talia, the brother of Adelaide’s Daniel, is probably the best pure full-back prospect from this year’s draft. His strength is his ability to read the play, always knowing when to spoil and when to attempt to outmark his opponent – something he is certainly not afraid to do. He is also quite good at rebounding the ball from defence, often taking the right options, however can sometimes be let down by his average foot skills – probably one of the bigger flaws in his game. Fortunately though, as a future full-back, foot-skills is not something I put at the top of my priority list.

He still needs to get better at winning his one-on-one battles (he loves to drift away from his opponent, ala Matthew Scarlett), but it has been something he has clearly worked on throughout the year. He will be very good for the Saints – we currently have no other full-back apart for Dawson, and if the talk is true that he wants to move to Fremantle, we may need Talia to step up sooner than he may be ready – this is the extent which we need a developing key defender on our list. Stoked I was still able to get him with this pick.

#42 ST KILDA: JACKSON MERRETT

Height: 187cm, Weight: 70kg, DOB: 27.2.93
Recruited from: Geelong Falcons

Merrett answers another big need for the Saints – outside speed – as well as fitting under the ‘best available’ umbrella for this selection. If we are going to draft any midfielders early in this draft, the main two qualities we will chase is speed and ball use – two of Merrett’s bigger assets (we already have Steven, Armo and Ledger as decent inside mids under 23). He is still very slight at 70kgs, and has improved his inside game through 2011, however is still very much an outside player, capable of making pretty decent decisions whilst going inside-50.

He is one of the key carers for his Mum, who is suffering from MS, which hasn’t allowed him nearly as much time around the footy club as some of his teammates. He is a good kid, and with a proper AFL development system around him we should be able to see a decent amount of improvement from Jackson over his first couple of seasons.

#60 ST.KILDA: DANIEL CURRIE

Height: 200cm, Weight: 97kg, DOB: 15/02/1989
Recruited from: Sydney Swans

Currie will be the first ruckman I take in this draft. Unfortunately, I wasn’t willing to use #25 on a ruckman and I subsequently missed out on my next choice ruck over the next few picks. Therefore I am willing to pay slight overs for Currie. At the end of the day, the Saints need a potential 2nd ruckman NOW. Not in 3/4 years when our newly drafted tall finally develops. Therefore we were keen to go down the mature-aged path and draft Currie.

Currie has been on Sydney’s list for 5 years – a current AFL record for a player never to play a senior game. He missed out on chances early on due to injuries and the fact he was still developing. Then the past couple of years he has struggled to break into the seniors thanks to the form of Mumford, Pyke and to a lesser extent, Seaby. Now after five years of development, he finds himself in the draft. Despite being delisted by the Swans, there is no doubting Currie has some value for the Saints – he is still young but has a good size to play in the ruck or even up forward, providing good insurance for McEvoy, or even ruck as the 2nd big man if Watters so chooses. He is actually a very good tap ruckman and pretty decent around the ground too. He also has the ability to drop forward and kick some goals – a fantastic trait to have for a 2nd ruckman. Still has plenty of development potential, but also the ability to step in now if needed – a perfect choice for the Saints with where their list is at. I will then likely draft a younger project ruckman with an early rookie pick.

#68 ST KILDA: SAM GORDON

Height: 197cm, Weight: 87kg, DOB: 31/03/1993
Recruited from: Geelong Falcons

Gordon is a true full-forward, and just the type of player the Saints should have their sights set firmly on. We have recently delisted a number of key talls, however, with many of them only around 190-192 cm, it will be great to finally add a 195cm plus guy we can sit in the goalsquare all game. We have already recruited Haynes (192cm), who we plan to use up forward, so it will be great to add two forwards with plenty of potential to our list.

Gordon had somewhat of an inconsistent season, however has been playing for Geelong Grammar all year, meaning he simply hasn’t been training nearly as much of some of the other guys in the system. He has a good sized frame and looks capable of filling out quite well for a full-forward (Jon Brown size would be the aim, and the likely outcome). He didn’t get invited to the draft combine, which was a bit surprising, so we don’t really know how he rates as far as speed and agility, etc, however he has good pace of the mark and is pretty good physically in contests. He is also a very good competitor, which is a good sign for a late-ish pick. Pretty decent field kick too, which can easily travel 60 metres. One of his flaws is his set-shot kicking, having a pretty average year in front of the sticks. He also has very little exposed form, and what he did show was inconsistent, which in part could be attributed to the lack of time he spent in a professional AFL environment. That said, there is plenty of upside in this kid, so we are going to back in our newly opened youth academy to turn this boy into a star… or at least give it our best shot!

#75 ST.KILDA: BEN BROWN
Height: 199cm, Weight: 89kg, DOB: 16/03/1993
Recruited from: Glenorchy

Ben Brown rounds out St.Kilda’s draft and we are very happy to snare the big guy this late. Brown is a ruckman, just as capable of playing forward. His big strength is his work below his knees, which is fantastic for a guy of his size. He is also a decent mark, has reasonable foot skills and a very good game sense and leadership ability. Still a bean-pole of a lad, so will need a few years in the gym before he is ready to go. He suffered for OP early in the year, which is a worry, and also a knee injury the year before which prevented him from being drafted in 2010. At his size, and limited form to go on, he is again very much a project player. The hope is that at least one of Gordon or Brown will develop into a decent player for the Saints.

This is the link if you are keen in seeing all the picks in the draft and descriptions of all other players selected:
http://www.footytragic.com/blog/2011-ph ... tom-draft/

[thirty-seven!?]

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[thirty-seven!?]

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[Dr Spaceman]

Hey there thirty-seven!?.

I wouldn't really have a clue about these kids in the Draft but I really enjoyed reading that.

Well done

[thirty-seven!?]

Thanks doc! Appreciate it!

Doing this exercise really helped me see this draft really isn't as bad as many are saying. Yeah, probably not as many stars, but still, the talent is actually pretty even. We will still get some pretty decent players with our first four picks, and like I've shown here, even the late picks can be used on some players with good potential and who have shown some decent glimpses through the year!

[borderbarry]

Good job, although I may have gone with Murray Newman at our first pick, as Markworth would be competing with Sipposs for a place in the side. Also I may have picked the second ruckman up as a rookie. But you are right, we do need two more.