Potential Future A-Graders

[bergholt]

It's pretty important that we have some real top-end talent if we're ever going to challenge for a flag. Which of these young(-ish) guys are you confident could one day be A-Graders? By that I mean roughly that they make the All Australian squad (if not the team itself).

For comparison, across the last decade A-Graders by this definition would be: Riewoldt, Hayes, Dal Santo, Montagna, Goddard, Milne, Fisher, Dempster.

[plugger66]

Very hard to be an A grader. Went for Billings and Goddard.

[Austinnn]

Ah, AA. I wish I could change my vote

[Teflon]

Way to early for most - Goddards played 2 games?
Billings, Paddy and at a stretch Sinclair looks to have the tools (composure, skills, smarts).
We are way short when the older brigade go but fear not we'll get them in at picks 78 through astute later pick selections I'm reliably informed.....

[bergholt]

Amazing that Luke Dunstan, 32 games in with a Rising Star nomination and Brownlow votes under his belt already, only has 7 votes while Blake Acres has 12. Sounds like a lot considering Acres has shown very little in his 8 games so far.

Short memories? Or has Dunstan's second year really been that bad?

[plugger66]

Way to early for most - Goddards played 2 games?
Billings, Paddy and at a stretch Sinclair looks to have the tools (composure, skills, smarts).
We are way short when the older brigade go but fear not we'll get them in at picks 78 through astute later pick selections I'm reliably informed.....

Who has said that. I know you want early picks but lying doesn't do anything for your credibility.

[plugger66]

Amazing that Luke Dunstan, 32 games in with a Rising Star nomination and Brownlow votes under his belt already, only has 7 votes while Blake Acres has 12. Sounds like a lot considering Acres has shown very little in his 8 games so far.

Short memories? Or has Dunstan's second year really been that bad?

I didn't vote for Dunstan this year and I wouldn't have last year either. Real worry about his pace and im not sure his skills are that good. Would have got Armo wrong as well. Thems the breaks.

[bergholt]

Current standings:

42 Jack Billings (pick 3)
41
40
39
38
37
36 Hugh Goddard (pick 21)
35
34 Paddy McCartin (pick 1)
33
32
31
30
29
28
27
26
25
24
23 Blake Acres (pick 19)
22
21 Jack Lonie (pick 41)
20
19
18 Josh Bruce (prelist), Jack Sinclair (rookie pick 1)
17
16 Luke Dunstan (pick 18), Jimmy Webster (pick 42)
15 Daniel McKenzie (pick 22)
14
13
12 Jack Newnes (pick 37)
11
10 Dylan Roberton (pick 49), Mav Weller (GC underage)
9
8
7
6 Tom Hickey (Qld zone), Jason Holmes (international), Billy Longer (pick 8), Shane Savage (pick 75)
5
4 Seb Ross (pick 25)
3 Brodie Murdoch (pick 40)
2
1 Daniel Markworth (pick 35), Tim Membrey (pick 46), Brenton Payne (rookie pick 37), Cam Shenton (rookie pick 30), Spencer White (pick 25), Nathan Wright (pick 24)
0 Tom Curren (rookie pick 24), Tom Lee (pick 60), Darren Minchington (rookie pick 65), Lewis Pierce (pick 75), Josh Saunders (pick 43), Arryn Siposs (pick 75), Eli Templeton (rookie pick 3)


Fascinating results! Still flabbergasted that Acres is so high up, but the people have spoken.

Feel free to vote if you haven't already, be great to see some more come in.

[Teflon]

Acres certainly getting the Dal Santo vote and given the club rates him so highly re contract extension it's understandable but yes, all based on that horrible "p" word atm

[Teflon]

Way to early for most - Goddards played 2 games?
Billings, Paddy and at a stretch Sinclair looks to have the tools (composure, skills, smarts).
We are way short when the older brigade go but fear not we'll get them in at picks 78 through astute later pick selections I'm reliably informed.....

Who has said that. I know you want early picks but lying doesn't do anything for your credibility.

How do you know I haven't been reliably informed?
I'm reliably informed you're a tosser and that appears accurate ?

[Old Mate]

Amazing that Luke Dunstan, 32 games in with a Rising Star nomination and Brownlow votes under his belt already, only has 7 votes while Blake Acres has 12. Sounds like a lot considering Acres has shown very little in his 8 games so far.

Short memories? Or has Dunstan's second year really been that bad?

More knowledgeable people at our footy club than ourselves rate Acres our best talent and expect huge things from him in the near future.

[plugger66]

Way to early for most - Goddards played 2 games?
Billings, Paddy and at a stretch Sinclair looks to have the tools (composure, skills, smarts).
We are way short when the older brigade go but fear not we'll get them in at picks 78 through astute later pick selections I'm reliably informed.....

Who has said that. I know you want early picks but lying doesn't do anything for your credibility.

How do you know I haven't been reliably informed?
I'm reliably informed you're a tosser and that appears accurate ?

You really struggle not to make it personal when asked even the most basic question. And its impossible to be reliably informed when you aren't informed at all.

[The Barometer]

Billings to be a ridiculously special match winner. Game v Doggies and VFL game v Frankston last year case in point.

McCartin and Goddard seem to have the smarts.

Sinclair will be the one in 5-6 years people will talk about as THAT rookie.

Wish we had two young blokes like Billings and Sinclair in 09 and 10.

[bergholt]

Final(ish) results:

57 Jack Billings (pick 3)
56
55
54
53
52
51
50 Hugh Goddard (pick 21)
49
48
47
46 Paddy McCartin (pick 1)
45
44
43
42
41
40
39
38
37
36
35
34 Blake Acres (pick 19)
33
32 Jack Lonie (pick 41)
31
30
29
28 Josh Bruce (prelist)
27 Jack Sinclair (rookie pick 1)
26
25
24 Luke Dunstan (pick 18)
23 Jimmy Webster (pick 42)
22
21 Daniel McKenzie (pick 22)
20
19
18 Jack Newnes (pick 37)
17 Mav Weller (GC underage)
16 Dylan Roberton (pick 49)
15
14
13
12
11
10
9 Billy Longer (pick 8), Shane Savage (pick 75)
8 Tom Hickey (Qld zone)
7 Jason Holmes (international)
6 Brodie Murdoch (pick 40), Seb Ross (pick 25)
5
4
3 Nathan Wright (pick 24)
2 Daniel Markworth (pick 35), Tim Membrey (pick 46), Spencer White (pick 25)
1 Brenton Payne (rookie pick 37), Cam Shenton (rookie pick 30), Arryn Siposs (pick 75), Eli Templeton (rookie pick 3)
0 Tom Curren (rookie pick 24), Tom Lee (pick 60), Darren Minchington (rookie pick 65), Lewis Pierce (pick 75), Josh Saunders (pick 43)


Bruce seems a bit low to me considering he's fifth in the Coleman. All he has to do is get a little bit better and he could kick 60, which gets him pretty close to AA.

[QuestionOfAccuracy]

Amazing that Luke Dunstan, 32 games in with a Rising Star nomination and Brownlow votes under his belt already, only has 7 votes while Blake Acres has 12. Sounds like a lot considering Acres has shown very little in his 8 games so far.

Short memories? Or has Dunstan's second year really been that bad?

It's not about whether Luke has been good or bad as such. He just hasn't shown enough to show he'll be A-grade.

Blake has probably been lucky, but I do agree that he shows more signs of A-grade talent than Dunstan.

[bergholt]

Actually, I think this gives us a pretty good idea of what our future core is. The 13 guys down to Roberton are clearly ahead of the rest. Add in Steven, Armo and Geary and here's a team of 16:

FB: ?, ?, Geary
HB: Webster, Goddard, Roberton
C: Billings, Dunstan, Newnes
HF: Acres, McCartin, Weller
FF: ?, Bruce, ?
R: ?, Armitage, Steven
IC: Sinclair, McKenzie, Lonie, ?

Looks like a solid team, maybe a bit better than that if we actually end up with a few of these guys as true A-graders. Big hole at FB, including another good small back. Ruck is presumably one of Longer/Hickey/Holmes. Quite a lot of mids (though not enough) especially if Billings, Sinclair, Lonie, McKenzie etc end up true mids (which is why I've put some of those guys rotating off the bench). Then maybe there's room for a specialist forward pocket.

[gringo]

Amazing that Luke Dunstan, 32 games in with a Rising Star nomination and Brownlow votes under his belt already, only has 7 votes while Blake Acres has 12. Sounds like a lot considering Acres has shown very little in his 8 games so far.

Short memories? Or has Dunstan's second year really been that bad?

It's not about whether Luke has been good or bad as such. He just hasn't shown enough to show he'll be A-grade.

Blake has probably been lucky, but I do agree that he shows more signs of A-grade talent than Dunstan.

Im not sure Blake has shown much at all at senior level. My belief in Acres comes from potential not output. Its a very dangerous thing to use to pick future performance on though. I remember Xavier Clarke and Cayden Beetham were money in the bank champions and James Begley was our next captain.

[Saint wagga]

I'm liking what i see from Jimmy Webster this season. Think he has the tools to develop into A grade material. If Ross, Newnes and Webster can all become 100+ gamers, that would be a very good draft for us from lower picks. Newnes and Webster certainly look likely, Ross is the hardest to predict IMO.

[Goose is king]

Who picked Siposs? Own up