Rate our draft

[ace]

For the first time in five years, we didn’t go ‘vanilla’.

Yeah. I like Lethlean's comment about what 'personal qualities' they were looking for and he said 'competitiveness' - as opposed to the 'good bloke, good family' crap we've been spun for the past five years.

I could see steam coming off Trout when we took guys who he could not take with him to visit the Queen.
Imagine how he thought "Your majesty this our King".

[saint6709]

Pleasantly surprised we went with mature aged later picks....very underutilized resource IMO, highlights demonstrate genuine breakneck pace.

I can't help but feel that our recruiters got too carried away with the success of Kelly and Ryan this year. They've plucked a bunch of players with similar attributes from state leagues but the big difference is that Kelly and Ryan were the best in the league. Wilkie is by far the best performed of our recruits and he's the one we rookied. I'm concerned that we've drafted two small forwards who don't get much of the ball and don't kick many goals at state level.

Also, what could the coaches possibly have in mind for the forward line next year?

Marking forwards:
Bruce
Membrey
McCartin
Battle
Marshall
King

Small forwards:
Billings
Gresham
Long
Lonie
Parker
Young

We have a terrible unbalanced list right now. Some will say that Billings and Gresham are going to move into the middle but I don't see it happening. Gresham should rotate through as an impact player but mainly play forward, while Billings has always been much better at half forward than anywhere else.

Not sure why 12 forwards makes us terribly unbalanced list ? if you assume 12 backs also thats 24 - if the squad is 40 and you count 2 rookies as being worthy of being counted - that leaves 18 through the mid - it may not be the best balanced list in history - but that looks ok to me

[skeptic]

Pleasantly surprised we went with mature aged later picks....very underutilized resource IMO, highlights demonstrate genuine breakneck pace.

I can't help but feel that our recruiters got too carried away with the success of Kelly and Ryan this year. They've plucked a bunch of players with similar attributes from state leagues but the big difference is that Kelly and Ryan were the best in the league. Wilkie is by far the best performed of our recruits and he's the one we rookied. I'm concerned that we've drafted two small forwards who don't get much of the ball and don't kick many goals at state level.

Also, what could the coaches possibly have in mind for the forward line next year?

Marking forwards:
Bruce
Membrey
McCartin
Battle
Marshall
King

Small forwards:
Billings
Gresham
Long
Lonie
Parker
Young

We have a terrible unbalanced list right now. Some will say that Billings and Gresham are going to move into the middle but I don't see it happening. Gresham should rotate through as an impact player but mainly play forward, while Billings has always been much better at half forward than anywhere else.

Not sure why 12 forwards makes us terribly unbalanced list ? if you assume 12 backs also thats 24 - if the squad is 40 and you count 2 rookies as being worthy of being counted - that leaves 18 through the mid - it may not be the best balanced list in history - but that looks ok to me

The concern was 6 months ago we don’t have a good primary ruck...
Too many half back flankers
Too many inside mids
Too many key forwards without a clear standout
Too many small forwards

The hope was the draft and trade period address that concern and bring a better balance of mids and a clear no1 ruck to the team

[saintsRrising]

Having a clear Number 1 ruck for 2019 was to me is
a very low priority.

History shows that teams in premiership windows can easily go out and get a ruck if required.

History also shows that only ok rucks will do the job if the rest of your team is good. ie just at wce tiges and dogs for the last 3 flags.

We need to fix the rest of the team first.

On reflection now that I have reviewed who we gained given where our picks were overall our choice were good.

We have added electric place and run that we lacked.

We have added more players of an age that are ready to play now and that will increase the pressure to make our 22 in 2919 and that is a good thing. Numerous more 28y is would not have done that.

Our second pick is a beauty.

The only thing that I would question is King with our first pick as a player like Rozee or Smith would have aided quality in our midfield and done so over the next 2 years. King is a riskier and more long term pick. But also with more potential.

So overall despite on draft day thinking etc...who are all these guys..I have come around after studying them to think that the club had done well for our needs.


Fixing our ruck can come later..
And if one of Pierce, Marshall or Sam come good may not even be required.

As it stands with Hannas and our no2 we have added to our midfield.

With our Dees recruit and draftees we have a number of very quick runners to select from...and we very much need linebreaking pace.

And we have more players of the right age profile to play in 2019.

We are in better shape for 2019 than we were in 2018.

The Rat has a lot of tools to work with.

[Waltzing St Kilda]

Not sure why we didn't recruit:

Minchington -- zippy, creative, mature-age forward/mid who knows how to kick a goal.
Wright -- tough, tattooed, tough-as-nails, mature-age utility.
Freeman -- former top draft pick,, mow mature-age, who's just come good after battling injury
Goddard -- former top draft pick who showed plenty of glimpses before getting injured.

[Joffa Burns]

Very hard as a layman to rate.

Couldn’t ignore Kings talent @ #4, could be a generational player if all goes his way. From what I have read Bytel looks a very good prospect at #41.

It gets interesting after that with the clear strategy recruiting mature guys who can play now in a draft rated the best in young talent since 2001.

I agree with others RE list balance.
Very light on genuine midfield talent and loaded with mid size defenders and tall and small forwards.

A different strategy to pretty much all clubs this draft season so let’s hope we are the innovators and it pays off.

[Toy Saint]

My rating is poor. We needed classy mids and we got two kids battling injury and three unknown state league players.

Why does our club seem to think we can turn mature age state players into top tier AFL footballers? And why does our club feel they can recruit kids with physical problems and get them right?

[bigred]

I'm still not sure what to make of the later picks.

King- pretty much consider this one a "best available" pick. He looks like an opposition nightmare. Quite seriously, we should have his brother in a year or two and this could become the "King era". No pressure o.O
I give this pick an A grade.

Bytel- In my opinion this could be the steal of the draft. Yes he is a slider. Yes, he has back issues. Yes, once again we are backing our medico's to get him right. Coulda, shoulda, woulda gone top ten if not top five. If we can get him fit, he will be a dead set gun. Needs a haircut and pay closer attention to that s*** moustache of his. I bet the club are frothing about this one.
I give this pick an A grade. Club has done homework here, they know exactly what they are doing.

Parker- There is a reasonable amount of media on him if you search for it. From what I have read, he is playing for the right reasons and could really thrive in the AFL environment. Has a young family and has been trying to get the most out of his football career. The club will need to support him and make sure his off field is under control to assist him. Hopefully he can take that next step. Will kill it at Sandringham repeatedly and will most definitely be in the mix. I say again, he will absolutely kill it at Sandringham. Could impact immediately.
Where this pick came in after all the damn academy shift, I give it a B rating. They know what they are doing.

Robert Young- Been around the Port Adelaide list a fair bit and their supporters rate him. From what I can gather, a bit one sided. He's hard at it. Like Parker, he could come on and kill it. He's ready made and could make an impact immediately.
I'm giving this one a B- rating. They wanted a ready made player and got a good one.

Nick Hind- He's quick. Disposal is ordinary. Seriously he is a Jack Daniels with pace. Been in the system for a while and could be anything.
C Grade for me. If anything it is probably more a depth / game plan pick up.

Callum WIlkie- Captain and B&F winner in a premiership year at North Adelaide. Intercept defender and is pretty much ready made. No reason he would not be in the mix for a promotion at some stage.
Decent player to have around the place. B rating.

Overall I am giving them a B. Bytel could be the absolute dream pick if we get him right.

This is a definite shift in list dynamic. We will be very different in 2019.

[aussie sainter]

Reckon with the recruitment of mature aged recruits we are putting some of our lesser performing more highly touted blokes on notice- step up, or step aside. Newnes, Savage, Lonie, Paddy, Dunstan, Acres, just to name a few

[Ghost Like]

It appears we drafted best available with our two first picks and have attempted to address a deficiency (leg speed) with our others. I'm OK with King, not my first choice, and am happy to give him time. Ideal scenario now is that come his break out year, likely 2021 or 2022, he's joined by his brother. In the meantime, Marshall and Battle also afforded time and opportunity. Battle I believe will go to another level and this will coincide with his mate Clavarino cementing a senior spot, late 2019 or 2020.

All this allows McCartin to prove his value. I'd love the Saints to employ Dunstall as his mentor. Paddy needs to learn to use his frame, to stand his ground, to push off, to double back. There was no better forward at that than Dunstall. Plugger was a freak, Paddy is not a freak.

By the time King is ready to make the Saints forward line his own I believe Marshall will be controlling the ruck position.

This brings us to our midfield. An area desperate for class, explosiveness and quality ball use. Besides a godfather offer to Josh Kelly it appears we need to make our own. I believed Bailey Smith could have been that. That ship has sailed. Between Steele, Hanners, Ross, Steven, Armo, Dunstan we have enough contested ball winners. This means Billings, Gresham, Clark, Coffield, Acres, Sinclair will shoulder the distribution and quick ball movement. Hoping Bytel can join them but no rush.

All those cannot play in the same team so the system employed must be the sum of the parts. I believe Ratten can implement that.

If we mix and match our other recruits and listed players to apply that manic pressure and speed both in our forward line and off half back we may be OK. As long as in next years trade and draft period we add silk to our midfield.

I can see players being traded next year as like this year, the quote will be "We needed to get ourselves back into the 2nd and 3rd rounds." So whilst our list is unbalanced, it will provide the opportunity for players to stand up or be those trades by the end of 2019.

[prwilkinson]

Reckon with the recruitment of mature aged recruits we are putting some of our lesser performing more highly touted blokes on notice- step up, or step aside. Newnes, Savage, Lonie, Paddy, Dunstan, Acres, just to name a few

Fair point. Plenty of them need to step up if they want to continue their professional careers.

[saintadamski]

IMO I rate this draft highly - 9/10

The Saints were one of the poorest clubs last year in terms of pace and run.

Young, Parker and Hind all have electric pace, which is super exciting, while Bytel looks to be a super solid inside footballer.

The days of Trout Elshaug's "good kid from a good family" are finally over - and I can see that we are finally drafting guys with fierceness and mongrel

I'm starting to get some serious hope back - The Saints are going to be a tough club to play against in a few years!

WELL DONE LETHLEAN...I think you're doing a smashing job!!

[saint-stu]

Bytel looks like a really good player, but a bulging disc?! They don't just go away and treatment for it is not great. I worry this is going to cause him problems all through his career.

[DJ Higgins]

Bytel looks like a really good player, but a bulging disc?! They don't just go away and treatment for it is not great. I worry this is going to cause him problems all through his career.

Oh crap,is that his issue. That really isn't good and the fAct he hasn't already had surgery is a huge concern. They can last for years and if not treated properly can never heal. No wonder why he slipped into the 40s

[Crossy66]

Pleasantly surprised we went with mature aged later picks....very underutilized resource IMO, highlights demonstrate genuine breakneck pace.

I can't help but feel that our recruiters got too carried away with the success of Kelly and Ryan this year. They've plucked a bunch of players with similar attributes from state leagues but the big difference is that Kelly and Ryan were the best in the league. Wilkie is by far the best performed of our recruits and he's the one we rookied. I'm concerned that we've drafted two small forwards who don't get much of the ball and don't kick many goals at state level.

Also, what could the coaches possibly have in mind for the forward line next year?

Marking forwards:
Bruce
Membrey
McCartin
Battle
Marshall
King

Small forwards:
Billings
Gresham
Long
Lonie
Parker
Young

We have a terrible unbalanced list right now. Some will say that Billings and Gresham are going to move into the middle but I don't see it happening. Gresham should rotate through as an impact player but mainly play forward, while Billings has always been much better at half forward than anywhere else.

Not sure why 12 forwards makes us terribly unbalanced list ? if you assume 12 backs also thats 24 - if the squad is 40 and you count 2 rookies as being worthy of being counted - that leaves 18 through the mid - it may not be the best balanced list in history - but that looks ok to me

[Crossy66]

Pleasantly surprised we went with mature aged later picks....very underutilized resource IMO, highlights demonstrate genuine breakneck pace.

I can't help but feel that our recruiters got too carried away with the success of Kelly and Ryan this year. They've plucked a bunch of players with similar attributes from state leagues but the big difference is that Kelly and Ryan were the best in the league. Wilkie is by far the best performed of our recruits and he's the one we rookied. I'm concerned that we've drafted two small forwards who don't get much of the ball and don't kick many goals at state level.

Also, what could the coaches possibly have in mind for the forward line next year?

Marking forwards:
Bruce
Membrey
McCartin
Battle
Marshall
King

Small forwards:
Billings
Gresham
Long
Lonie
Parker
Young

We have a terrible unbalanced list right now. Some will say that Billings and Gresham are going to move into the middle but I don't see it happening. Gresham should rotate through as an impact player but mainly play forward, while Billings has always been much better at half forward than anywhere else.

Not sure why 12 forwards makes us terribly unbalanced list ? if you assume 12 backs also thats 24 - if the squad is 40 and you count 2 rookies as being worthy of being counted - that leaves 18 through the mid - it may not be the best balanced list in history - but that looks ok to me

[Crossy66]

Pleasantly surprised we went with mature aged later picks....very underutilized resource IMO, highlights demonstrate genuine breakneck pace.

I can't help but feel that our recruiters got too carried away with the success of Kelly and Ryan this year. They've plucked a bunch of players with similar attributes from state leagues but the big difference is that Kelly and Ryan were the best in the league. Wilkie is by far the best performed of our recruits and he's the one we rookied. I'm concerned that we've drafted two small forwards who don't get much of the ball and don't kick many goals at state level.

Also, what could the coaches possibly have in mind for the forward line next year?

Marking forwards:
Bruce
Membrey
McCartin
Battle
Marshall
King

Small forwards:
Billings
Gresham
Long
Lonie
Parker
Young

We have a terrible unbalanced list right now. Some will say that Billings and Gresham are going to move into the middle but I don't see it happening. Gresham should rotate through as an impact player but mainly play forward, while Billings has always been much better at half forward than anywhere else.

Not sure why 12 forwards makes us terribly unbalanced list ? if you assume 12 backs also thats 24 - if the squad is 40 and you count 2 rookies as being worthy of being counted - that leaves 18 through the mid - it may not be the best balanced list in history - but that looks ok to me

[Crossy66]

It appears we drafted best available with our two first picks and have attempted to address a deficiency (leg speed) with our others. I'm OK with King, not my first choice, and am happy to give him time. Ideal scenario now is that come his break out year, likely 2021 or 2022, he's joined by his brother. In the meantime, Marshall and Battle also afforded time and opportunity. Battle I believe will go to another level and this will coincide with his mate Clavarino cementing a senior spot, late 2019 or 2020.

All this allows McCartin to prove his value. I'd love the Saints to employ Dunstall as his mentor. Paddy needs to learn to use his frame, to stand his ground, to push off, to double back. There was no better forward at that than Dunstall. Plugger was a freak, Paddy is not a freak.

By the time King is ready to make the Saints forward line his own I believe Marshall will be controlling the ruck position.

This brings us to our midfield. An area desperate for class, explosiveness and quality ball use. Besides a godfather offer to Josh Kelly it appears we need to make our own. I believed Bailey Smith could have been that. That ship has sailed. Between Steele, Hanners, Ross, Steven, Armo, Dunstan we have enough contested ball winners. This means Billings, Gresham, Clark, Coffield, Acres, Sinclair will shoulder the distribution and quick ball movement. Hoping Bytel can join them but no rush.

All those cannot play in the same team so the system employed must be the sum of the parts. I believe Ratten can implement that.

If we mix and match our other recruits and listed players to apply that manic pressure and speed both in our forward line and off half back we may be OK. As long as in next years trade and draft period we add silk to our midfield.

I can see players being traded next year as like this year, the quote will be "We needed to get ourselves back into the 2nd and 3rd rounds." So whilst our list is unbalanced, it will provide the opportunity for players to stand up or be those trades by the end of 2019.

good post and agree with much off it. I think the list was unbalanced this year and they attempted to rectify that, but you can only do so much in one draft. With a fit acres and organic growth from coffield Clark, Gresham Billings, long all rotating through plus Hanna, i think the class will improve significantly. They have recruited mature bodies with speed to fix that outside run issue, only so much you can do with 3rd / 4th round picks but it will be up to the individuals to seize the opportunity
A lot of pressure on some of the forwards and rucks to retain their spots in 2020 which is good. Pressure on the coach is also good. Off field recruiting big tick
So all in all, a good result with what we had to work with

[HitTheBoundary]

One of the good things about picking more mature age players is that we'll know in two years if they're any good or not, so we can keep churning the list until we get the right mix.

Picking 18 year olds in the back end of the draft it takes much longer to see if they're any good.

[Viscount Jeremiah]

Pleased with the draft.

Won't know for a few years how good it was but I like the players we have gone for.

Some electric pace and x-factor thats exactly what we were missing

[saynta]

We actually drafted 5 of Gary Buckenara's top 50, so it can't be all bad.

B+ for mine.

[bergsone]

Best available first 2 picks.and then pace in mature bodies reads good to me.B plus

[Myron Gaines]

King - generational player, future captain & the next to wear no.12. Massive tick for that selection alone.

Bytel - at the beginning of the year he was seen as the most advanced stoppage player at u18 level. Injuries & question marks over his skills ensured he slid. We’ve got a massive bargain here. Another massive tick.

The mature players add some solid bodies & I like that we’ve steered away from 18 year olds only. Tick.

Grade - A

[chico2001]

Lots of pros and cons with this draft overall and our new recruits. Firstly the most important thing is now that we get behind each player but let's review
Max king
Pros Most know about max so in summary could be gun forward, great hand, tall ,long arms, not fussed if he us thin ie dustin Fletcher is he hard should be the quiry
Cons injury,goal kicking, work rate, won't come good until 2020-2022. Elite talent for a tall man and few in the industry didn't have him.in top 4 for a kid who played one game this year. Happy with the choice even if it is wrong

jack bytel .Pros good hand, composer under pressure,great round stoppages.
Cons. Old back injury flared up again. Ie its not a one
off. Seems to be an inside mid. Most his highlights in the back pocket.
Not sure we needed another inside mid let alone an injured one who seems to prefer defence.
Matthew parker. Goal kicker 1.5 a game, defensive pressure, mongrel in him, driven to succeed now, playing for his family now
Cons, wa family and friends, may not assimilate. Late bloomer. Another small forward, not an outside mid
Nick.hind pros quick and agile
Cons. Another hbf with poor kicking. Highlights mention he is a plumber that is scrapping bottom of barrel for a positive, 70kgs dripping wet. At this stage of the draft its hail Mary time so I expect nothing so can't lose.
Robert young.pros tackling small forward.
Cons late pick so a fair few. Been around since 2013

Not being negative but no genuine outside mid in there which I what we need. Three mature age picks scream short term fix for someone trying to save their job but it should have quicker Impact on our team. But who do these guys replace. Ie 2 small forwards are they better than long jade, Kent, lonie or billings. Lonie maybe.
Nick.hind really. Not saying he is bad but another f$&king hbf.
Bottom line is we have gone for pace, got some players that seem to have some fight and can get goals but not midfielder.
Done is done now and let's hope they all become stars but personally, if not for getting max king, this draft would barely be a pass.

Nice work DJ and summed it up pretty well without that over positive bulls*** that goes on here. Parker will add X factor and with him and Gresham in the forward line they will take some stopping. You cant play catch up with midfielders, they can either get the ball or they cant. Trying to make HBF and small forwards into midfielders generally doesn't work. No point having pace if you get where the ball aint. Club cant take credit for picking a player in the top 10- a schoolkid could do that. I hate it when credit is taken when you are given the gift on a plate. It is the other picks that count, hope we have found a diamond in amongst that rough. Wilkie could add value as he can take a mark.

[Moods]

I rarely comment too much on the draft. No one really knows how most will go. For some reason though I have a far better feeling about this draft period than others. Picking mature aged players, particularly with later picks, is a much smarter strategy I reckon. Love the pick of King. He's a genuine fwd who can run. Hate to compare but I will. Paddy appears too small (height wise) and can't run. If Paddy does come good we are in great shape I reckon.

No 5'10 midgets who can play in the fwd pockets. No HBF's. Mid/fwd types. Who knows how they'll go, but for some reason I just feel much more confident this year than others. REcruiters had a crack rather than play it safe. Thumbs up from me