This is the first post in a 6 part series that will be published as I finished each team profile off. I have a few more to do so will do my best to get these up each day over the next week. Profiles are in alphabetical order. If you don't like having to wait because you only want to read about your team then feel free turn off the internet, grab a drink and wait a week. As a disclaimer, the verdict and scoring out of ten are my opinion only. If you disagree you're welcome to voice your opinion but I'm not going to be convinced otherwise because you're probably wrong. Even if it seems that I said a pick was shit and it turned out to be great, you probably didn't realise that I was being sarcastic. It's this ability to get SC related stuff right that I've finished no better than around the 3,000 mark once a few years ago, then decided to go mid-priced strategy for a couple of years to see what happens and finish around the 30k mark by getting about 2/30 of my breakout predictions right. I'm still waiting on a call from CD or one of the AFL clubs to offer me a job to utilise these supernatural abilities. The scale: 10 - Awesome 9 - Really good 8 - Very good 7 - Good 6 - Above average 5 - Meh 4 - Below average 3 - Poor 2 - Very poor 1 - Shit house 0 - There's no helping you Ararat Pick 5: Jack Bowes, FWD/MID, GCS Out Jack Steven and in Rhys Mathieson and Jack Bowes, insider has managed to add some more youth to the midfield engine selecting a highly rated Gold Coast academy player. Some have rated Bowes as the 2nd best prospect in this draft and he's been compared to Cotchin and Gaff, he's a ball winner and great user of the footy who will get many opportunities this year to push his case for AFL game time having played NEAFL last year. The only concern is that he may be played up forward in his debut year much like Ben Keays but a great choice regardless. Pick 8: Sam Petrevski-Seton, MID, CAR Contested player, good kick on both sides, has some X factor about him. SPS had a great year in 2015 but last year his stocks slipped a little because his numbers weren't as high. However, most forget he had a couple of injuries which hindered him and his stats. Some have him as the best prospect in this draft and a rebuilding Blues outfit will play him this year. The only thing that will hold him back is injury and he's suffered one already. Verdict: The runner up wrangled 2 top 10 picks in the draft and made, in my view, the perfect selections at picks 5 and 8. I was hoping Bowes might have been available at my pick (#6) but I had a suspicion he might've made his way to Ararat. With Wells getting on one of these two should surely come good. Awesome draft. 10/10. Banchang Pick 13: Tom Barrass, DEF, WCE The young key defender broke into the best 22 last year and held his spot in this team. A young prospect with a bright future, Tom's described in the Prospectus as having elite intercept mark and spoil figures. He'll be one of the cornerstones of the Eagles defence for the next 10 years and will fit in nicely in a revamped and very strong Barcrawler defensive line. Pick 27: Riley Knight, FWD, ADE A youngster I don't know much about but the little that I do know is that he's a goal kicking mid, disposal seems to be an issue, and there's a spot available now that Lyons' has moved to the Gold Coast. If he cements a spot he'll add much needed scoring power to Banchang's forward 4. Wright and Higgins will hold down F1 and F2 but it looks like the team might be short one or two best 22 and at least average scoring forwards. A selection that will have a high payoff...if it pays off. Pick 29: Ed Langdon, FWD/MID, FRE I like this youngster but I didn't realise the knocks on him until I read the Prospectus…bad disposal, poor kick rating and porr delivery inside 50. Nevertheless the signs are there of his potential with his ability to rack up possessions. It's just a question of whether or not he'll make it. A great pick for the future. Pick 47: Nic Newman, DEF, SYD This guy seems like another rookie success for the Swans getting upgraded to the primary list last year. He averaged 28 disposals per game in the NEAFL in 2016, 20 of them kicks, and 112 Dream Team points. The signs are there, he just needs the opportunity and I think he's a great pick in the 3rd round of the FU draft. Pick 47: Darcy Cameron, FWD/RUC, SYD The 21 year old ruckman got selected at pick 48 in the National Draft. He's been described as an agile ruckman capable of playing forward and in the ruck. Smart pick being paired with one of Banchang's other rucks in Sinclair but Naismith would've also been handy had he slipped through to one of Banchang's picks. Verdict: Strengthened an already strong defensive line. Choppers hasn't definitely addressed the forward scoring power but his picks just might pay off to push him into contention for the 'FU premiership in 2017. Decent picks for where the selections were made. 8/10. Blanchetown Pick 23: Sam Naismith, RUC, SYD At the end of 2015 I was expecting Nankervis to come on and Naismith to slip out of the AFL system but a year is a long time in footy. Something clicked for him and his effort earned him elevation up the ruck order when Tippett and Sinclair weren't available. Sam comes to Blanchetown joining another Sam (Jacobs) as the team's only other ruckman. I'm not sure how high his ceiling is but the Sydney ruck coach has proven to work wonders and Marty fills a list need with this pick. Pick 32: Tim Smith, FWD, MEL I guess mature aged key position players get picked by AFL teams for a reason, see Marcus Adams 2016. With Chris Dawes leaving the Demons there's a spot for another tall in the team while Weideman spends another year or two/three developing. I think what the Bunyips might be lacking is an 80+ averaging forward to push them into FU premiership territory. Maybe Tim will be a good F4 this year but maybe not, I don't think he'll vie for F1 or F2, I think there might have been a couple of other options available if looking for average scoring forward depth that are probably safer options eg Whitecross, Sam Lloyd. Verdict: Got a much needed 2nd ruck who's got a great ruck coach that probably plays SC. Not convinced about the Tim Smith pick. 7/10
Christmas Island Pick 25: Daniel Venables, FWD/MID, WCE The forward/midfielder hasn't played many games over the past 2 years. He's been compared to Gary Rohan and Jack Crisp but I'm not sure that's a good thing. He can hit the scoreboard, can win the contested ball and has pace. There are durability and consistency concerns with this guy and I'm not convinced he's one from the top 20 in the draft that will make it. Pick 57: Oleg Markov, DEF, RIC A richmond youngster who broke into the team in the last half of the year when Hardwick didn't have a final spot to aim for. He's an athlete first in my eyes and another I don't think will make it. I don't see where he fits into a team, he doesn't seem to offer a lot. In round 4 of a draft most players are a punt but still there were probably better youngsters around such as McKenzie, Cedric Cox etc. Verdict: With a couple of oldies at either end of the ground (Lids and Johnson), Damoh brought in some youngsters to hopefully come through in time and fill their spots. Grabbing a pick 13 player at #25 isn't too bad but I'm not a fan of the Markov pick, I don't think we'll see much of him at AFL level. I see him as an athlete first who probably won't become much of a footballer. 5/10. Coolgardie Pick 26: Aliir Aliir, DEF, SYD I loved watching this guy play last year, particularly in the finals. According to CD he's not far off the elite category for key defenders, a huge achievement for a guy who debuted at AFL level. Imagine how good he'll be in a couple more years. Pick 28 - Brandon Parfitt, FWD/MID, GEE Like last year, Geelong selected another creative midfielder from the NT. He's a good decision maker but his disposal is questionable. I really like this guy and think he'll do well once he gets an opportunity. When played through the midfield he showed his talent but at times was played up forward were he didn't do as well as others had hoped. Needs to add another string to his bow so the question is when will he be ready for AFL. Pick 31 - Callum Brown, FWD/MID, COL Can't say much about this guy because I've got no idea. He averaged 120 in the TAC cup and almost 100 in the U18 Championships, a great return. With Westhoff and Petrie getting on and other forwards like Clarke and Miller probably moving more into the midfield JPK has taken the punt on this guy. Verdict: With a few decent young mids in Wines, Miller, Clarke, defenders and forwards were the order of the day. I really like the first two picks, particularly Alliir. I'm not sure about Brown but his SC scoring so far suggests he might have a bright future. Some nice young additions to balance the list. 9/10. Cow Bay Pick 1: Andrew McGrath, DEF/MID, ESS The young defender/midfielder went number 1 in the National Draft, was rated by about half the coaches as the best prospect and duly went number 1 in the FU draft. McGrath's been likened to both Shaw and Johannissen due to his pace, run and carry, and intercept ability. Here's hoping he becomes my D1 in a few years time and holds together the defensive 4. Pick 6: Tim Taranto, FWD/MID, GWS Taranto was rated the 3rd best prospect by CD in this year's draft. His midfield, marking and goal kicking abilities have him compared to Dustin Martin by some and Luke Parker by others. I'm excited to see what he becomes and think he'll be a very handy addition to the Cow Bay midfield. Verdict: Heath Shaw and Dustin Martin join the Crocs. In contention for pick #6 were Bowes, Taranto, SPS and Setterfield, all of which were taken in picks 5-8, so I'm hoping Taranto is the pick of the bunch in a few years time. Very pleased to get picks #1 and #2 from the AFL draft in the FU draft.
Eden Pick 19: Nathan Hrovat, FWD/MID, NTH Nathan has a new opportunity at North who are looking to rebuild after getting rid of some oldies. Just 6 forwards on Eden's list pre draft so desperately needed a forward capable of playing every week. Nice pick but now I'm kind of hoping that he doesn't do too well since there were no takers for him when he was offered around at the end of the season. Pick 35: Reilly O'Brien, RUC, ADE Another ex Croc makes his way to Eden. With Jacobs getting older ROB may get a few more games this year and start to come through. He was reluctantly delisted before last year's mini draft and I think he's got a decent future ahead of him. Pick 42: Michael Hartley, DEF, ESS A mature age draft pick Hartley slotted into the best 22 straight away. He averaged 70 Dream Team points in the VFL in 2015 and about that in SC last year. Not a high scorer but decent depth for now while Andrews comes through. Verdict: Holky adds some needed scorers at either end of the ground and a young developing ruck. Question for this season will be was that enough to push into the top 4. After subtracting a point or two for taking 2 delistees at my expense we get to 6/10. Gisborne Pick 12: Mitch Hibberd, DEF/MID, NTH Surprised he went this high but maybe Tomster knows something we don't. Averaged 19 disposals and 73 DT points in the VFL last year and has a chance to push his case for a best 22 spot. The back 4 don't seem that strong at Gisborne so I'm surprised Barass or even Alliir weren't selected here instead. One of the better rebounding defenders from his draft year. Pick 14: Sam Powell-Pepper, PTA, MID A high impact, contested ball winner, Sam's been compared to Tom Bell by some (I'm not sure that's a good thing). Port need a mid like this so likely to get games this year. Gisborne desperately need another mid or two to support Neale and Hill if they're going to push up the ladder before it's too late but this one probably won't start to score well for at least 2 years. Pick 45: Luke Ryan, DEF, FRE The intercept marking king of the VFL last year he's also a good ball user and decision maker. Seems like he'll eventually get a chance at AFL level so will be interesting to see how his skills translate. Decent pick in the 3rd round. Verdict: I'm not sure about the first pick and the 2nd pick is good. Having a second 1st round pick shortly after the first allows for a bit of a risk with one of them. The 3rd pick I like but there could be potential issues in the forward line if not this year then next and these may have needed to be addressed this year, particularly if Dunkley was there for the taking. The average of those 3 thoughts is 5/10. Groote Eylandt Pick 11: Jarrod Berry, DEF/MID, BRL Berry has been played all over the ground last year so we'll see which position he settles into at AFL level. It's hard to pick holes in the current premiership team but youngsters with potential at either end could be one. Berry potentially fills this, but maybe he doesn't depending on which position he settles into. Pick 36: Jack Graham, MID, RIC Not a bad choice at this stage of the draft for a mid. He's an inside mid who probably won't take long to adjust to AFL level as the other draftees would so if there are a few injuries in the mids then he should provide some scores. Lewis will eventually need replacing but he'll probably play for another 3 years. Verdict: Decent picks without being standouts. Berry's injury doesn't help but at least it's not an ACL. Were there better options if a young defender was wanted who will help the team score sooner rather than later? Probably. 6/10.
Hughenden Pick 4: Archie Smith, RUC, BRL I thought this guy was on his last chance in 2016 after not showing much in 2014 and 2015 but he played a few games last year and scored surprisingly well. With Sandi's career ending sooner rather than later and Campbell not getting games I thought it was a 5% chance of this pick being made. I get the logic behind it but I see this as a lost chance to add some potentially elite talent. Pick 18: Griffin Logue, DEF, FRE Not a bad spot to grab a top 10 pick from the AFL draft. He's close to AFL ready apparently and will get games this year. Although his SC average so far seems low compared to other top 10 picks, I wouldn't be surprised if he turns out to be one of the better SC scorers from this draft year. Pick 58: Daniel McKenzie, DEF, STK I didn't have the patience to continue waiting for this guy and he has the chance to break into the best 22 this year. With his potential I would've expected him to have been gone before the 4th round. Good pick here. Verdict: Two decent picks don't make up for what happened at pick 4. 6/10. King Island Pick 16: Josh Dunkley, FWD/MID, WBD Nice. With JJK and Betts getting closer to the end Dunkley's a decent pick to maintain the forward line's scoring power as well as the premiership hopes. Questionable disposal but that's something that can get fixed. The only question is if he maintains his forward eligibility in the coming years. Pick 34: Connor Menadue, MID, RIC Speedy and damaging footskills, Connor is slowly learning the ropes at AFL level. Hasn't really scored all too well so far with only 2 scores above 75 but one of them was a 130. The potential is there but will the Richmond development team beat it out of him? Pick 52: David Cuningham, MID, CAR Clever d...ahem...pick. With one year of AFL training behind him already the #20 pick from the 2015 AFL draft is a smart one at this stage of the draft. Played just the 8 VFL games last year and averaged 15 disposals but managed 3 AFL games at the end of the year. Didn't set the world on fire but is highly regarded in the club. Verdict: Some smart picks. These guys have shown some potential and are great younger replacements for the older players in the team plus they provide some balance to the list. Perhaps there could have been a better option than Menadue but these are still very strong picks after finishing 3rd in the FU season. 9/10 Korumburra Pick 3: Ben Ainsworth, FWD, GCS So the rebuild continues. In comes a Jamie Elliott like draftee to continue the replenishment of the list. The small forward showed that he's also capable of playing in the midfield and was at one staged talked about going at pick 2 to the Lions. Sure he's a small forward but he's strong overhead, he'll hold down F1/F2 for the Blowflies once he starts to shine. Pick 10: Oliver Florent, FWD/MID, SYD A youngster who played mainly forward but then people noticed his ability to impact in the midfield. He has acceleration, he's evasive but his stocks didn't rise until later in the year. Not a bad pick but needs to develop his inside game to help his SC scores. Pick 21: Jordan Gallucci, FWD/MID, ADE This pick is probably my favourite of the 4, an inside/outside mid who can kick goals these types of players seem to be SC gold. With Barlow and Picken getting older he'll start to come on when they'll be going out the door. Pick 43: Jordan Ridley, DEF/FWD An athletic utility who uses the ball well. He'll take a few years to show us what he's got but when you're doing a bit of a rebuild you can afford to wait. With McVeigh 31 and Hodge in what is probably his last year he joins Francis as a young defender on the list. Verdict: Took in a balanced approach to the draft and grabbed 2 youngsters in the middle and one at either end. Probably needed a young ruck too but got one in the Top Up Draft. 8/10.
Nuytsland Pick 20: Tim English, RUC, WBD It was only a matter of time before Brodie Grundy needed a friend and why not the standout ruck in about 5 or so years. I was always interested in seeing where he'd go...pick 20 was a surprise. Pick 24: Brad Scheer, MID, GCS I was surprised this kid slid so far on draft night, more so after seeing his SC average in the Prospectus. He's been likened to Josh Caddy and this one could be a smoky from this draft. I don't mind this pick at around this mark. Pick 30: Dean Kent, FWD, MEL Did ok last year with 3 100+ scores and half of them being above 75. Should improve with an improving Demons side but I'm not sure how much higher his scores will go. Will probably end up as depth. Pick 40: Dylan Clarke, MID, ESS Dylan put up some decent scores last year as a hard inside mid. However, he's another that has kicking issues so hopefully this doesn't hold his scoring back in the future. Pick 67: Bailey Williams, DEF, WBD Another ball winner this guy is a strong pick this late in the draft. He's rated highly internally so it's just a matter of improving enough to get an opportunity. Verdict: Picks across every line to ensure balance in the list and ball winners were the order of the day. Perhaps he should have grabbed a defender at pick 24 (eg Aliir) with the hope Scheer would be available later. English is a steal and although I think a couple of these picks are high risk/high reward but they're strong picks. It's a young team already pushing for the top 4 so risks can be taken. Very strong draft night. 10/10 Pakenham Pick 7: Will Setterfield, MID, GWS A tall midfielder who was talked up as a potential #1 pick. With Ablett, Goddard and Watson nearing the end Will adds much needed young potential elite talent in the midfield engine. Solid pick. Pick 46: Jayden Short, DEF, RIC Jayden's another one I don't know much about. Reading up about his AFL career doesn't fill me with confidence but there were some good signs in his draft year. Sounds like he may be a potential Houli replacement. There may have been a couple of other defenders I would have had a look at here, such as Stewart who went in the top up draft. Verdict: One great pick and another I find hard to rate because I don't know much about but a lot of picks at the late stage of the draft aren't easy to rank. However, he needed another young defender in his list and he got one. 8/10 Pearcedale Pick 15: Will Brodie, MID, GCS It sounded like at one stage Brodie was in contention for pick 1 with the Bombers wanting him to play for their VFL team last year. He's a clearance machine who's thought of as having a lower ceiling than other top 10 picks but he may prove others wrong. Pick 22: Jy Simpkin, FWD, NTH A highly rated forward who missed most of last year, he's a strong selection at pick 22 in the draft after going pick 12 in the AFL draft. Will take a little time to make his mark but the opportunities are there at North. Verdict: Grabbed 2 top 12 picks with a mid-first and early 2nd round. Would've thought he'd need another young defender coming through. 7/10.
Serengeti Pick 17: Harry Perryman, DEF/MID, GWS Rated at number 8 by Champion Data, Harry got selected here at pick 17. A strong contested ball winner he's been likened to James Kelly. Very good young pick up at the end of the first round. Pick 38: Alex Witherden, DEF/MID, BRL Unfortunately this young prospect broke his leg about a month into the season. He's more of an attacking half-back ala Goddard who will probably take a few years to develop and start to get some games. Rated as a potential top 25 prospect, not a bad pick here. Verdict: Some decent value selections, I would've thought another young mid was required as there's not a lot after Polec and S Selwood at M5 and M6 respectively. 8/10 Southern Cross Pick 59: Willem Drew, FWD/MID, PTA A strong inside mid who hits the scoreboard. I didn't realise how well he scored SC wise until I saw the blurb that he scored 100+ points in 13/15 games. He's another who could be a smoky from this draft. Verdict: Didn't finish all that high on the ladder last year but there are some decent AFL players in this team. Would not surprise me to see Southern Cross rise up the ladder. I would've picked a young defender for him but this is a great value pick regardless. 7/10. Staghorn Flat Pick 2: Hugh McCluggage, FWD/MID, BRL Highly rated youngster to take over a starting midfield spot once Griffen and Swallow finish their careers. List fit, tick. Potential elite talent, tick. Not much went wrong here. Pick 9: Jack Scrimshaw, DEF, GCS An intercepting half back likened to Birchall, nice selection here. Perhaps another young mid was needed but it probably would of been a question of something like Brodie vs Scrimshaw, very even. He got moved to the wing at times, one reason being he didn't want to have to defend his man. He's got big wraps but he needs to work on his accountability at AFL level to make it so I see this as one of the risky top 10 selections from the AFL draft. Pick 39: Will Hayward, FWD, SYD Quick medium sized forward who may eventually develop a midfield string to add to his bow. Has an ability to win contested possessions and is good one on onte. He's been likened to James Sicily but is a few years away. Pick 49: Marc Pittonet, RUC, HAW Smart pick to pair Pittonet with McEvoy at the Bulls. Should get some opportunities with Ceglar out this year and was rated high enough to get taken in the National Draft a couple years back. Pick 56: Sharrod Wellingham, DEF, WCE Korumburra tried to flog him off for a MSD pick but there were no takers. Depth pick who'll provide ok-ish scoring. After his JLT performance on the weekend maybe we'll see improved scores. Pick 63: David Myers, MID, ESS One of the forgotten men, having been out of the game for a little while. Decent depth pick here while pushing to go deeper into the FU finals in 2017. Verdict: Not that much wrong on draft night for Staghorn. Really like the pairing of Pittonet with McEvoy. I see the logic of Wellingham but I just don't like him. 9/10
Got a bit busy over the weekend but part 5 is up...think you'll like your review. Part 6 is getting there and will be up tomorrow to finish this thread off.
Very close to what i had been thinking, kent is a depth player like you said but i can see him lifting his average to at least 85. Do not agree with your assessment of taking a defender at pick 24 as the depth of defenders in the free agents list was great and most had similar averages plus my list did not warrant taking a defender. No arguments with a 10/10 top stuff
and that's a wrap! Phew, I enjoyed the write ups but I'll scale it back next year. Didn't realise how much I had put in until halfway through. As per the disclaimer, differing opinions means you're wrong But in all seriousness, it's probably weighing up something like Alliir at #24 and completely guessing you'd still get Scheer later versus Scheer and Williams. Alliir gives you scoring power now in case one of the oldies in Montagna, Boyd or even Birchall are out. Williams you'll have to wait on but if or when he makes it as a ball winning defender then he'll probably do just as well anyway.
@fresh top work - you nailed it took scrimshaw (the next bontempelli - my head recruiter tells me) over Brodie. Also I don't like Wellingham either however he is best 22 and if he can increase his efficiency he should go ok - finds the ball enough. It does make it all the more easy to chop him at years end when we have to reduce squad size down 'not liking him' haha just the mini draft review to go my man!
@fresh I know I'm wrong but I saw the mini draft as the place to pick up my defender (ex-croc Paparone), couldn't believe Drew slipped as far as he did! I would have taken him with a second round pick if I had had one . I'm hoping the sticky tape and rubber bands holding my players together will last a whole season and I can make my first finals appearance! Lol'd a little when the Bulls picked up Myers; I had him for two years as depth and he hardly played; seems like he's already injured again and he hasn't even played a match yet!!! (8 weeks out with a finger injury; serves him right for the sending a one finger salute in the Southern Cross direction).
Great write up, rating is appropriate. Might have got caught up in the need for a ruck option that might play. If Stefan goes down there are limited ruck options at Brisbane. It will either work out well or an easy delist at season end. Lol