Draft Assessment

[SuperDuper]

Well, those wanting best available mid... that is what we took.. according to our recruiters ratings of players...
So.. you should be happy

Those wanting good kicks... that is what we got... Rice and White rated very good kicks and Gresham a good user of the footy

Those wanting speed, we also got that in White and to an extent Gresham who has some dash

So... looks good, although we wont know for a few years

[Con Gorozidis]

Well, those wanting best available mid... that is what we took.. according to our recruiters ratings of players...
So.. you should be happy

Those wanting good kicks... that is what we got... Rice and White rated very good kicks and Gresham a good user of the footy

Those wanting speed, we also got that in White and to an extent Gresham who has some dash

So... looks good, although we wont know for a few years

Pleasing. Added three mids/runners. Rice falling down allowed us to take White so really that was a bonus for us. Thumbs up. But I guess 17 other clubs are probably saying similar things.

[Bluthy]

Ahmeet Bains just spoke

Gresham - captain Northern knights - wins his own footy, can play forward, speed and skill
White - local boy from berwick, back flanker, elite kick, bit of height
Rice - happy to have a father son.
3 picks in rookie draft - one will be Saunders

You could see Gresham and Billings swapping as forward/midfielder to ease their loads on ball and give us an unpredictability (Gresham is a very good shot on goal apparently).

White seems a bit like McKenzie in a rebounding back role. Pressure rise on the likes of Savage, Webster, Wright even Roberton. You are going to need to bring it to get a spot in our premiership back 7.

Rice seems a big unknown to me as one coach thought he would only be a rookie before he seemed to really commit himself. But hasn't cost us much and nice to get a bit of father son action. Rebounding back or maybe can work himself into our midfield? Will be interesting to see what direction he develops

I don't feel super excited over this year's draft but then you remember we also got Carlisle and Freeman (although cost us next years pick) and you can't help but think we've done well.

[SMS]

we rigged it beautifully. Rice and White best mates ... Rice just happened to run a "terrible" beep?? lol
I think we played em there. Well done saints.

A+ draft again. Filling the needs of speed with TOUGH, elite kicking and VIC boys. LOVE IT!

[SMS]

ANYONE have footage of Brandon WHITE?

[SMS]

Also Ryhs, Tucker or Balic have ALL gone to interstate teams. We ever need em back simply get em later ... but we have all those spots and better players I them. Wouldn't mind Tucker ... he'll come back to us.

[Con Gorozidis]

It is a numbers game and we are following the Pelchen model. Add another top 10 pick next year and we have the makings of a good list. Will be some hits and misses along the way but our list looks well balanced imo.

[SuperDuper]

ANYONE have footage of Brandon WHITE?

go to saints.com.au
looks like a GUN!!
I know it is only highlights but boy, it got me excited.. really top shelf package

[WinnersOnly]

Draft score 70/100.

Wouldnt think any of the 3 taken tonight will play senior footy next year, unless Gresham can surpass Lonie as a small forward....

I cant understand why we keep taking small/medium defenders hoping they will turn into midfielders. Our list balance is horendous in terms of natural ball winning midfielders. But they are the experts so lets hope they get it right!

[Verdun66]

I'm happy. Brandon White was tipped on BF by a couple of people a few months back. Gresham has been talked in the 10-15 area all season, and we knew about Rice. Matho and Tucker fell well back, and so it wasn't just us ignoring them. Pace, courage, good kicks, natural footballers. Carlisle and Freeman as well. Hopefully an 'under the radar' gun in the rookie draft would round things off nicely.

[R. Harvey 3 votes!]

I am just happy that we have picked footballers that can actually kick. All three of those players seemed to be great kicks of the footy.
Endurance and running ability can be worked on and built over time, but natural football ability can't be trained and these days you need to hit targets, turning the ball over just kills ya, not to mention our horrendous goal kicking!

[magnifisaint]

Draft score 70/100.

Wouldnt think any of the 3 taken tonight will play senior footy next year, unless Gresham can surpass Lonie as a small forward....

I cant understand why we keep taking small/medium defenders hoping they will turn into midfielders. Our list balance is horendous in terms of natural ball winning midfielders. But they are the experts so lets hope they get it right!

you wouldn't mind a Luke Shuey or Lachie Neale?

[Con Gorozidis]

Draft score 70/100.

Wouldnt think any of the 3 taken tonight will play senior footy next year, unless Gresham can surpass Lonie as a small forward....

I cant understand why we keep taking small/medium defenders hoping they will turn into midfielders. Our list balance is horendous in terms of natural ball winning midfielders. But they are the experts so lets hope they get it right!

Out of interest what is a 'natural ball winning midfielder'? It sounds to me like you have been glugging on the Mathieson Kool Aid. Gresham averages much more ball then Mathieson AND he can kick, isnt bog slow and can run all day.

[SuperDuper]

there are claims on BF that we got no. 7 (Gresham) and 14 (White) on our draft board

Explaining why the saints crew were pretty pumped...

Source?... the guy was at the draft hanging around the saints table and Finnis flashed his mobile with the list on it when the White pick was coming up.... he is not claiming Finnis leaked anything until that last second... so seems credible

said the only other name he noticed was Ah Chee at 13

[Con Gorozidis]

I guess it comes to down performance.

If we havent made the top 8 by 2018 then I think we can unleash the vitriole on the club because that means the recruiters have been rubbish. Noone should be spared. But I think we still give them another two full seasons to develop. Guys like Ross, Dunstan, Acres, Membrey, Billings, Freeman, Wright, Murdoch, Minchington, Longer need to start standing up in 2016. The apprenticeship/mollycoddling is over for 3-5 year players.

[Con Gorozidis]

Hate to say it but Melbourne look the big improvers. Hogan, Brayshaw, Petracca, Weideman, Oliver, Salem, Tyson, Viney. No longer easy beats. Sets them up nicely. Lions, Freo, Blues also big winners imo. Freo finished 3rd but still managed to walk away with Bennell, Tucker & Balic. Fair consolation after missing out on McCarthy.

[Long Term Injury]

Agree completely, the Dees look like they have a list chock full of talent. Lets just hope that they do what they have seemed to do over the last 5 years and they fail to develop. But yeah, that is on paper (and so far only on paper) a very talented young list. But I remember when we were rising with Geelong mid last decade and thought we had a lot better list than them, so I aint no judge!

[ripplug66]

Draft score 70/100.

Wouldnt think any of the 3 taken tonight will play senior footy next year, unless Gresham can surpass Lonie as a small forward....

I cant understand why we keep taking small/medium defenders hoping they will turn into midfielders. Our list balance is horendous in terms of natural ball winning midfielders. But they are the experts so lets hope they get it right!

Sounds like it should be 40 out of 100. Why do people feel the need to look at the negatives before these guys even have a kick in anger. By the way can you tell us your draft picks after the event and we will see how they go in the future 10 years? Pretty sure our first pick is a natural mid and I'm also pretty sure mamy HBF end up in the midfield especially those who occasionally play there anyway. Also good kicking ball winning HBF seem important to the Hawks. So important that the Hawks occasionally use Hodge as that person.

[cwrcyn]

It seems that between picks 15 and 30 there wasn't much difference in the rating of the talent. Historically, in this range of picks about a third of the players are busts, so I don't expect it to be much different this year. Look at last year, with Lonie going in the 40s and Sinclair going as a rookie. All the speculation on how good these players are is just that, and every year we have people on here who rave about players and criticise our recruiters for not selecting them. And then, as it turns out, most of these players eventually amount to nothing much at all. So, we'll just have to wait and see. We didn't get a highly ranked slider like Goddard this year, who some had rated as being in the best 7 players in his draft. As usual, the proof is in the pudding, and all the speculation in the world guarantees you nothing. From the highlight packages a couple of years ago I thought Saunders looked the pick of our crop and I thought Luke Dunstan had nothing going for him. Those highlight packages can be very deceptive (Spencer White, anyone?).

We'll get a better understanding during the pre-season competition and beyond. Then we can start making judgements on our recruiters

[saintsRrising]

Hate to say it but Melbourne look the big improvers. Hogan, Brayshaw, Petracca, Weideman, Oliver, Salem, Tyson, Viney. No longer easy beats. Sets them up nicely. Lions, Freo, Blues also big winners imo. Freo finished 3rd but still managed to walk away with Bennell, Tucker & Balic. Fair consolation after missing out on McCarthy.

Yes after years of squandering, the Dees the last two drafts have really nailed their picks. This on some early acqusitions like Hogan and Viney sees them now very well set up.

Their deal to get lower this years was also superbly done. Theu now havea lot of really good cattle.

[WinnersOnly]

Con I probably havent seen enough of Gresham to get excited. I watched him in the Under 18 comp and his highlights packages and IMO I didnt see any AFL transferable qualities. Obviously I was wrong as all the experts suggest otherwise and I was wrong again with where Mathieson should sit. Time will tell I suppose but it was only my supposition right or wrong!

As good a player as our recruiters think White is at #40 in an supposed shallow draft - dont we have numerous other players who play that medium half back role - Robertson, Webster, Savage, Geary, Wright, Murdoch. How may do we need?

[Beno88]

Hate to say it but Melbourne look the big improvers. Hogan, Brayshaw, Petracca, Weideman, Oliver, Salem, Tyson, Viney. No longer easy beats. Sets them up nicely. Lions, Freo, Blues also big winners imo. Freo finished 3rd but still managed to walk away with Bennell, Tucker & Balic. Fair consolation after missing out on McCarthy.

Yes after years of squandering, the Dees the last two drafts have really nailed their picks. This on some early acqusitions like Hogan and Viney sees them now very well set up.

Their deal to get lower this years was also superbly done. Theu now havea lot of really good cattle.

They looked like turning the corner when Scully and Trengove were picked up too. They're as far away from finals as we are, if not further.

[saintbob]

I just hope they're as good as our recruiters believe they will be!!

Gresham - sounds like a real player

White - I reckon they'll try and make him a midfielder

Rice - I really hope he turns out a good player, and I seriously hope he was told to slacken off at the special screening last week because his results weren't very flattering.

[SMS]

Draft period
100/100
Carlisle
Freeman
Gresham
White
Rice
We needed speed. CHECK. We wanted to keep our focus of elite kicking. CHECK. toughness. CHECK. Leadership. CHECK.

Absolute stoked!! brandon White wouldve gone top 20 had he not been ill for major scout session and injured during first stages. Cannot believe how stupid recruiters are. HAVE A LOOK AT HIM!! 189cm and sprints like carl lewis in 1989. kicks like birchall he better than bonner and much better peron and attitude .. LOCAL boy!
we are buildinjhg a tough, skilled TEAM. we are doing so well. Team chemistry is high, toughness is huge and skill is elite.

[stkfc1]

Hate to say it but Melbourne look the big improvers. Hogan, Brayshaw, Petracca, Weideman, Oliver, Salem, Tyson, Viney. No longer easy beats. Sets them up nicely. Lions, Freo, Blues also big winners imo. Freo finished 3rd but still managed to walk away with Bennell, Tucker & Balic. Fair consolation after missing out on McCarthy.

Yes after years of squandering, the Dees the last two drafts have really nailed their picks. This on some early acqusitions like Hogan and Viney sees them now very well set up.

Their deal to get lower this years was also superbly done. Theu now havea lot of really good cattle.

They looked like turning the corner when Scully and Trengove were picked up too. They're as far away from finals as we are, if not further.

Problem for Dees is if Hogan falls over, who kicks their goals? Granted he had a great season and lucky with injuries but he's injury prone and unlikely to get through a whole season. Back problems rarely completely disappear. They do have a great mid field coming through but I'd take our forward line any day of the week.