AFL Draft and Pre-Season Draft

[Saints94]

I think i'll go with Rix on that one

[Eastern]

Kreuzer has been proving himself in the TAC and the interstate comp over two seasons.

If you go back to their U16 year, Cotchin was 2nd best and Kruezer 3rd. Michael Dell Aquilla, who has had 2 injury riddled years since was ahead of both of them at that Carnival in the wet.

Dell Aquilla's retched run with injuries continued at Draft Camp when he pulled a hamstring !!

[SaintBot]

St Kilda - Pick 9 - Cyril Rioli





cheers to lovindalsanto for photoshopping the pic

[mad saint guy]

St Kilda - Pick 9 - Cyril Rioli

Rioli sounds like a great fit except for one thing. He got 11.2 in the beep test at draft camp, which is absolutely shocking for someone hoping to play AFL footy in 2008. Apparently he was carrying injuries, but it is still a concerning result.

[Unforgiven]

lol 11.2 is pretty disgracefull, a handfull of us fellas in P.E got higher than that. Surely he would have to be injured and restrained a fair bit.

[wildgoose]

St Kilda - Pick 9 - Cyril Rioli

Rioli sounds like a great fit except for one thing. He got 11.2 in the beep test at draft camp, which is absolutely shocking for someone hoping to play AFL footy in 2008. Apparently he was carrying injuries, but it is still a concerning result.

Hmm....11.2 and is considered a top 10 pick, that's awful fitness, guys playing AFL should be getting 15+ for there beep tests. 11.2 that's just awful.

[Unforgiven]

especailly for a small bloke as well, It's not like he is a lumbering ruckman or anything. It doesn't seem right actaully, 11.2 isn't really that hard to obtain for someone who plays a season of footy at a school like scotch.

[wildgoose]

Considering the beep test is almost walking pace to 9. Seems very strange.

[Lynch Beast]

West Coast will take Palmer if Morton is not available - thats pretty much a given it would seem, as Palmer is ready for AFL football (and they need a ready made midfielder to help ease the loss of Judd and Cousins) from all reports, and a homegrown boy as well - no homesickness.

Homesickness will have zero effect on west coasts draft selections, the last time we used a first round pick on a west aussie was on Sampi way back in 2001. 6 of our last 11 draft choices over the past 3 years have been on Victorian kids, nothing will change.

If they leave, they leave but it sure as anything won't effect the decision to take them in the first place.

[The OtherThommo]

Spiders, just so many spiders......................

[SaintBot]

St Kilda - Pick 9 - Cyril Rioli

Rioli sounds like a great fit except for one thing. He got 11.2 in the beep test at draft camp, which is absolutely shocking for someone hoping to play AFL footy in 2008. Apparently he was carrying injuries, but it is still a concerning result.

Hmm....11.2 and is considered a top 10 pick, that's awful fitness, guys playing AFL should be getting 15+ for there beep tests. 11.2 that's just awful.

very odd.

i highly doubt that is his honest time. he isnt the fittest kid around but he is certainly not that bad. id say he is high 13 to mid 14

[Oh When the Saints]

A pre-season with an AFL club would have his beep test at 13 minimum.

Some guys just don't have a tank, no matter how much training they put in.

[Ghost Like]

very odd.

i highly doubt that is his honest time. he isnt the fittest kid around but he is certainly not that bad. id say he is high 13 to mid 14

If it's not an honest time then I am not sure what that says about him. Every second report I seem to read about him is prefaced with "however due to injury" or "recovering from injury" or "carrying an injury", there seems to be too many excuses already being thrown up for this kid. I hope, especially if we draft him, that all this is just recruiter speak and the kid is not hiding behind these impressions.

[Animal Enclosure]

Although I posted in the nearest the pin that Masten might be our pick, it's pretty clear that he will go before pick 9. So all things being equal we can assume that the following players will be taken before our pick; (in no particular order)

Kreuzer
Cotchin
Morton
Palmer
Masten
Ebert

From there there is probably another 10 kids who could go anywhere from pick 4 to pick 16.

Key Forwards
Henderson (196cm) possibly to bulldogs
Grant (191)
Gourdis (191)
Gaertner (196)
Simpson (196)

Ruck/forward
McEvoy (199)

Mids
Myers (190)
Rioli (178)
Collier (192)- also touted as a defender
Selwood (184)

Key Defenders
Rance (192)
Pears (190)

We obviously have a few needs that any number of these kids could fill. More midfield support, a key defender to replace Max, a key forward, a young ruckman and in general, quick legs.

So if we had the pick of any of these kids @ #9, I would rank them something like this (based on what I have read & watching 3 champ games this year- so pretty much guessing in other words!)

1. David Myers- the prototype modern day mid. Tall, footy brain, reasonably quick & with excellent skills. Would add some much needed silk to the midfield to help out Dal & Banger.

2. Alex Rance- An obvious replacement for Max. According to reports is athletic, sets up play well, good skills.

3. Tom Collier- Like Myers, is a tall mid but has the size to develop into a tall defender. Has played senior footy in Tassie, sounds like a solid pick.

4. Ben McEvoy/Lachie Henderson- Hard to split as I reckon McEvoy is more a tall forward than a AFL ruckman. One of these two is likely to be chosen by the Bulldogs. While we now look light on for key forwards with the retirement of G & the delisting of Watts, I'm a big wrap for Jarryd Allen & there will be a few developing ruckman available later in the draft.

5. Cyril 'Junior Boy' Rioli- Sounds like Junior has the magic and extreme speed that we need up forward but with X.Clarke, Milne & Schneider do we need another small forward? Whoever picks him up could end up with
a gem who makes other clubs passing him look stupid...Aaron & Alwyn Davey spring to mind. Unlikely pick for the Saints in my book.

I won't go on any further but suffice to say, I rate Myers, Rance & Collier to be the ideal 3 options (unless someone like Masten, Palmer or Ebert falls into our lap). Myers comparison to Pendlebury is very enticing & would make a nice midfield in 3 years time with Dal, Bally, Joey & Grammy at their peak & Armo really getting going.

My priorites;

Pick 9- Best available mid (or Rance)
Pick 42- Best available young ruckman
Pick 58- Best available anything
Last pick pass

PSD- Best available at pick 8 (Collard, Dunn, Watts)

[Oh When the Saints]

The draft guys on BigFooty are sensational - normally very close to the mark with their official phantom draft.

Interestingly David Myers was taken at #6 ... a few comments to the effect that he could be the third best player available this year, outside of Cotchin and Kreuzer.


They had Ebert slipping ...

EDIT: Terrific post BTW Animal Enclosure. Great summary, and from what I have read you are pretty much spot on.

[Eastern]

The draft guys on BigFooty are sensational - normally very close to the mark with their official phantom draft.

Interestingly David Myers was taken at #6 ... a few comments to the effect that he could be the third best player available this year, outside of Cotchin and Kreuzer.


They had Ebert slipping ...

EDIT: Terrific post BTW Animal Enclosure. Great summary, and from what I have read you are pretty much spot on.

Hey OWTS !!

Can you please post a link to their Phantom Draft !!

[Oh When the Saints]

http://www.bigfooty.com/forum/showthrea ... 254&page=4

First three pages are general chit-chat, but I have linked to page 4 when the experts start picking.

I think they got around 15 of the top 50 selections correct last year (which was a pretty good strike rate in last year's draft).

Their top 9 (completed so far, in order):

Kreuzer
Cotchin
Palmer
Morton
Gourdis
Myers
Masten
Ebert
Rance

Some great write-ups there too ...

[Beekay]

Can only do a top four as I actually have knowledge on the players and have been blessed to see them play.

LennyBoy
Kreuzer
Cotchin
Palmer

LennyBoy's age might go against him and he could slip through to Richmond or Broadmedow reserves.


Has anyone seen any of these guys play? It's just text.

[St Igmata]

Can only do a top four as I actually have knowledge on the players and have been blessed to see them play.

LennyBoy
Kreuzer
Cotchin
Palmer

LennyBoy's age might go against him and he could slip through to Richmond or Broadmedow reserves.


Has anyone seen any of these guys play? It's just text.

I have.
Though not Palmer in the flesh too much.

Kreuzer and Cotch are definite top 2 or 3. After that anything can happen.

[LTN16]

Would not be surprised at all if we picked up Todd Grimma in the PSD. An exceptional talent that could not be promoted onto the Geelong list as their list is full and couldn't be kept on the rookie list and so was delisted. Top five in Draft camp for agilityrun and 11min 6 sec 3 KM test. Damaging 192 cm mid tall Fwd who I think would also operate well on the wing.

I was very surprised that Todd got delisted.

I watched him alot in the VFL and he played some great games at FF.

He kicked 51 Goals in the VFL last year and kicked 2 bags of 6 goals and 5 goals, he was very unlucky to get delisted IMO.

I would be very happy if we picked him up in the PSD or the Rookie draft.

[vacuous space]

I still think McEvoy's our pick. By the time McEvoy's fully grown he should be around the 200/100 mark. That's plenty big enough for rucking. I can't see him being mobile enough to play as a permanent forward. I think he'll play a Josh Fraser type role at AFL level.

As much as everyone here always wants to draft the next great mid, there isn't any mid outside the top five who has the ideal combination of size, endurance and skill. IMO the KP talent at the top of the draft is much more interesting than the midfield talent.

[LTN16]

I would be happy with McEvoy at pick 9 or Dawson Simpson at pick 42.

If we did get McEvoy at pick 9 I would be hopeing that he doesn't turn out like another Brooks or a Meesen.

From all reports Tom Bellchambers doesn't sound to bad either but would he be worth our pick 9 ??

[vacuous space]

From all reports Tom Bellchambers doesn't sound to bad either but would he be worth our pick 9 ??

I don't understand what excites people so about guys like Bellchambers. His tapwork is supposed to be good, but he's unlikely to dominate the hitouts at AFL level at his size, and he doesn't have a lot of other strengths. I'd go late second round early third round for him, but some ruck-starved club will almost certainly grab him before then.

If McEvoy is gone by pick 9, there are plenty of people I'd consider before Bellchambers.

[F_Q_F]

Great post Animal Enclosure.

I guess it just comes down to what Ross Lyon and Peake think we need the most as there will still be a good ruck, backman, midfielder and forward there come pick 9.

My preference is for Rance, he should be able to learn a lot seeing as we have two of the best fullbacks to learn from in Silvagni and Maxy. Rance (from what I have read), Maguire and Fisher could form a very strong attacking backline in the future.

I think that Lyon is trying to develop the midfield to be able to kick more goals instead of relying on a few key forwards to each bag 3 or 4 each. The delistings of Watts and Brooks just indicates to me that Lyon wants us to rely on key forwards less and look at getting goals from elsewhere. X, Fiora, Montagna, Dal Santo etc are all capable of kicking 1-2 goals a game.

[Eastern]

I'm told that a number of recruiters will be looking for hidden gems late in the draft this year. Outside the top 10-15 it's pretty even.

The thing they will all be thinking about is that Vic Metro had 12 of its top players miss the entire National Carnival this year through injury. Could be some hidden gems there !!