BigFooty Official Bigfooty Phantom Draft - Trial Run

[PMBangers]

Selection Order;
Pick 1 - Hawthorn - Harley Reid
Pick 2 - West Coast Eagles - Colby McKercher
Pick 3 - North Melbourne - Nick Watson
Pick 4 - GWS - Zane Duursma
Pick 5 - Sydney - Daniel Curtin
Pick 6 - Gold Coast - Jed Walter (matched bid, using Pick 8)
Pick 7 - GWS (From Richmond) - Mitchell Edwards
Pick 8 Melbourne (From Fremantle) - Archer Reid
Pick 9 - Essendon - Jordan Croft (bid not matched)
Pick 10 - Carlton - Koltyn Tholstrup
Pick 11 - Adelaide - Darcy Wilson
Pick 12 - Geelong - Nate Caddy
Pick 13 - Western Bulldogs - Joel Freijah
Pick 14 - St Kilda - Ashton Moir
Pick 15 - North Melbourne (From Port Adelaide) - Connor O'Sullivan
Pick 16 - Gold Goast - Jake Rogers (bid matched, pick 27 and others used to match)
Pick 17 - Western Bulldogs (From Brisbane) - Logan Evans
Pick 18 - Hawthorn - Will McCabe (Matched bid)
Pick 19 - Melbourne - Jack Delean
Pick 20 - Gold Coast - Ethan Read (Matched bid)
Pick 21 - Collingwood - Ryley Sanders

Round 2

Pick 22 - Sydney (From Hawthorn) - Kane McAuliffe
Pick 23 - West Coast Eagles - Coen Livingston
Pick 24 - Adelaide (From North Melbourne) - Harry Demattia
Pick 25 - Fremantle (From North Melbourne PP) - Riley Hardeman
Pick 26 - Adelaide (From GWS) - Will Patton
Pick 27 - Sydney - Ollie Murphy
Pick 28 - Richmond - Nathan Philactides
Pick 29 - Melbourne (From Fremantle) - Cooper Simpson
Pick 30 - Essendon - Sam Frangalas
Pick 31 - Collingwood (From Carlton) - Luamon Lual
Pick 32 - Brisbane (From Geelong) - Sam Van Rooyen
Pick 33 - St Kilda - Will Lorenz
Pick 34 - West Coast (From Port Adelaide) - Will Brown
Pick 35 - Western Bulldogs (From Brisbane) - Jake Smith
Pick 36 - Melbourne - Josh Docking
Pick 37 - Port Adelaide (From Collingwood) - Taylor Goad

Round 3

Pick 38 - Sydney (From Hawthorn) - Jack Calinan
Pick 39 - West Coast - Clay Hall
Pick 40 - North Melbourne - Logan Morris
Pick 41 - Fremantle (From North Melbourne PP) - Tom Anasastopoulos
Pick 42 - GWS - Harvey Johnston
Pick 43 - Sydney - Archie Roberts
Pick 44 - Richmond - Mahoud Taha (bid not matched)
Pick 45 - Port Adelaide (From Fremantle) - George Stevens
Pick 46 - Essendon - Charlton Harrop
Pick 47 - Fremantle (From Carlton) - Koen Sanchez
Pick 48 - Brisbane (From Geelong) - Angus Hastie
Pick 49 - Hawthorn (From Western Bulldogs) - Billy Wilson
Pick 50 - St Kilda - Xavier Walsh
Pick 51 - West Coast (From Port Adelaide) - Arie Schoenmaker
Pick 52 - Brisbane - Liam Fawcett
Pick 53 - North Melbourne (From Melbourne) - Lance Collard

Round 4

Pick 54 - North Melbourne (From Hawthorn) - Riley Weatherill
Pick 55 - West Coast - Joe Pike
Pick 56 - Fremantle (From North Melbourne) - Charlie Naish (bid not matched)
Pick 57 - GWS - Wil Dawson
Pick 58 - Melbourne - Riak Andrew (matched bid)
Essendon (From Sydney) - Passed
Pick 59 - Richmond - Luker Kentfield
Pick 60 - Brisbane (From Fremantle) - Ryan Maric
Pick 61 - Carlton (From Essendon) - Chad Reschke
Pick 62 - Carlton - Kade De La Rue
Pick 63 - Western Bulldogs (From Geelong) - Coby James
Pick 64 - Western Bulldogs - Tom Beaumont
Pick 65 - Port Adelaide - Bailey Harbour
Pick 66 - GWS (From Brisbane) - Lachlan Charlson
Pick 67 - Western Bulldogs (From Melbourne) - Clay Tucker
Pick 68 - Collingwood - Oscar Ryan

 

[Davo-27]

Pick 1 - Hawthorn - Harley Reid - Bendigo Pioneers

No surprise we pick arguably the best prospect up for grabs, plays his best footy at either end of the ground as an intercept defender with counter attacking abilities or as a dynamic tough forward, is branching out this year as a midfielder and he has shown an ability to win the ball inside, great in the air, tough in the contest and at times lovely skills, very competitive, puts team first, seems like he has a good head on his shoulders with good character, ticks most boxes, rumours are he was a chance for pick 1 last year had he qualified.

Monocle you're up

 

[Monocle]

Pick 2 - West Coast _ Colby McKercher - Tasmania / Allies.






Difficult choice on this one, as I simply haven't seen enough of all the contenders play often enough, to have as better a feel for the draft order just yet.
So I have ended up going with the player who ticks many of the Clubs need boxes and has a consistency thats hard to ignore.

• Finds his own football.
• Can win in the one on one contests.
• Has good separation speed away from the contest with ball in hand.
• Good foot skills.

He is a balanced mid who also know where the goals are.
Has a precise left foot that is competent at a range of distances and has very clean hands.
Lots to like about his craft.

I am obviously well aware of Tasmania's pending introduction into the AFL, but I have overlooked that for the purpose of this mock as I am attempting to order the players in the sequence that I think, they come off the board.

The two others that I also considered for this pick were Watson & Curtin.

roos_fanatic08 North are on the clock.

 

[roos_fanatic08]

Pick 3 - North Melbourne - Nick Watson - Eastern Ranges - 170cm & 69kg

North are simply in no position to be picking and choosing, when it comes to the top end of the draft we simply have to take best available.

Aptly nicknamed the ‘wizard’, Watson is everything that North are crying out for and more. He has dynamic movement, electric speed, agility and a whole heap of footy nous.

As a small forward he can kick goals from anywhere, and he is at home either crumbing the ball or marking on the lead. He plays the game with a bit of arrogance and flair, and will no doubt be a real entertainer.

This year he has transitioned up field more to show he isn’t just a one trick pony. Averaging more than 25 disposals per game, he has shown he can accumulate the footy and be a real threat through the midfield. He has excellent vision and finishing skills which means he is a real threat when distributing the ball forward of centre.

While small in stature he has more than enough tools and athletic traits to overcome this much talked about issue.

I expect where ever he ends up he’ll play plenty of AFL footy in 2024

PMBangers GWS are up

 

[PMBangers]

That is supremely disappointing

Pick 4 - GWS - Zane Duursma

A week ago this pick probably would've been someone else given how ZD has somewhat regress in terms of quality with a more midfield focused role this season. He's still shown his ball skills and speed, but looked timid around the contest and lacked the same aerial presence we all fell in love with back in 2021, but on Saturday against a good standard of opposition we saw a bit of vintage ZD through the midfield. Whilst it doesn't completely alleviate the concerns, and it still wasn't the same level of X Factor he's displayed previously, but his approach to contested ball was dramatically improved from his previous outing at Academy level, and his debut at VFL level.

All things going well, I see Duursma being a long term midfielder that can impact heavily when resting up forward. Even without a transition into the midfield, Duursma has some similarities to Bayley Fritsch

31

Bayley Fritsch

Age

27

Ht

188cm

Wt

86kg

Pos.

Fwd

Career

Season

Last 5

D

15.6

4star

K

10.4

4star

HB

5.2

4star

M

5.5

5star

T

2.0

4star

G

0.9

4star

D

9.5

2star

K

7.7

3star

HB

1.8

1star

M

5.0

5star

T

1.0

2star

G

1.3

5star

D

11.8

3star

K

7.8

3star

HB

4.0

3star

M

4.4

4star

T

2.4

4star

G

1.4

5star

in his forward play, but with more class and athleticism

Smythe with Swans

 

[Smythe]

CLAREMONT - KEY POSITION UTILITY

Daniel Curtin​

Height: 195cm
Weight: 93kg
D.O.B: 08-03-2005

Voted B.O.G in the Allstars game last year on grand final day, Curtin can play both ends and play both well.
Not afraid of a contest and attacks the pack. If he doesn’t mark the ball he brings it to ground, he has the nous to play in defense and his disposal execution is good for a big man and when down forward he gets on the move and runs the angles well, doubles back on leads and tries to make sure he is always an option when the ball is coming in the 50. I see this as best available for Sydney and he also fills a need with the defensive injuries and also with Buddy and Reid probably finishing up he can fill a hole at either end. Last year at this pick it would have been seen as a steal and by the end of the year it still may be seen that way but I’m comfortable where it sits right now. Also adding another sandgroper to their little haul of W.A players will make him feel right at home.
I think this seems a very Sydney pick to me.
PMBangers

 

[Bastyy]

I'll bid on Jed Walter, Bastyy will you be matching?

You bastard

I will be matching the bid for Jed Walter

 

[PMBangers]

Given Walter was matched, I will take Mitch Edwards of WA

I don't expect Edwards to be an actual top 10 selection come draft night and would be surprised if anyone else would've taken him this early, but there's just so much to like about what he brings to the ruck and around the ground. With the game evolving more towards super tall and super mobile rucks (Tim English for example), Edwards shapes as a potential best in league ruck when at his peak. There's also a bit of projection here as to how the centre ruck contest will look in 5 years time, I expect the bounce will be eliminated and a rucks height and jumping reach will be even more important, with Edwards excelling in that regard. I also enjoy his ability to impact around the ground, for a 207cm prospect he's ridiculously clean at ground level and strong in the air, and doesn't have the classic case of 'ruck skills' with his kicking and handballing

Also considered; Darcy Wilson, Archer Reid

eDPS With Melbourne now

 

[eDPS]

Pick 8 - Melbourne - Archer Reid - 203cm - Key Forward

Best available here and also wanted a key talk to develop for the Demons, Reid has plenty of potential being 203cm and still growing. He can really take a grab and has strong leading patterns and his ability to also pinch hit in the ruck will be vital long term as a potential Joe Daniher style of player.

Pick 9 Essendon - Jordan Croft - 200cm - Key Forward

An athletic key forward with a great vertical leap who can really take a mark, has only gone big a couple of times infront of goal but even when he doesn’t hit the scoreboard he looks dangerous whenever the ball is in his area. Essendon need a tall forward who could potentially pinch hit ruck aswell so will be very happy for Dogs not matching here.

 

[Arr0w]

Carlton Pick 10 - Koltyn Tholstrup 188 80

Write up later

TDS7 you are up

 

[TDS7]

Pick 11 - Adelaide - Darcy Wilson (VC) - 185cm 73kg - Wing/Half Forward

Wilson brings the exact prospect I feel the Crows need to reach the pinnacle. A dynamic, classy, composed midfielder who knows where the goals are and, more importantly, how to hit up a forward target. What sets him apart from the pack of other half forwards in this range is his unnerving composure while moving at pace in a contest. He'll approach packs and stoppages with a deft gait, get his hands on the ball, and either pick out an open teammate for a handball or steady himself and shrug off the contact. Wilson understands positional gravity incredibly well, and knows how to draw attention away from his teammates to free them up for outlet passes. As a forward he shows great decision making, kicking his share of goals but often hitting up teammates in better positions. I think he'll require a bit of time to get used to the pace of AFL and will need to build some muscle to keep standing up through packs, but as a high-ceiling prospect I don't think the crows can do better.

Others considered here were Ashton Moir, Nate Caddy, Will Brown, and Kane McAuliffe

PMBangers

 

[PMBangers]

Pick 12 - Geelong - Nate Caddy
Hardest pick I expect to make this draft, Geelong are a side without one clear deficiency in their up and coming youngsters. I feel their general attacking half stocks are quite good, as is their midfield and backline, the main thing I felt they need is some high quality young KPP talent. It then became a case of what do they need more, a KPF or KPD? I settled on Caddy largely for his body of work over the last 18 odd months, and think that with his ability to get up the ground and act as a link up player when not getting it inside 50 himself, that dynamic approach has worked for Geelong well.

I did heavily consider Connor O'Sullivan as a swingman option (even though I believe he'll be a KPD at AFL level) and Ollie Murphy as a KPD option, either would've fit imo and as I said it really came down to Caddy's body of work. If I wasn't looking address a need with high level talent, Joel Freijah would've been the pick as a potential Mitch Duncan replacement with his inside/ outside impact and kicking skill

goodcop badcop

 

[goodcop badcop]

Pick 13 - Western Bulldogs -

Joel Freijah
191cm, 86kg
Winger/Midfielder

Freijah is a wingman first with very good decision making and composure skills that regularly delivers well by hand and foot to his team mates advantage.
He's quite a good all round athlete as well, with a good burst of speed and can duck and weave his way through traffic showing good agility. He can also play as an onballer where he is quite clean and has good vision inside the contest. He will need to improve the physical side of his game and be a bit quicker by hand to be a full time mid though. It is possible, as this year he's shown quite a good level of improvement particularly in the physicality side of things and is now having a big impact in games. In the last three games he's played he's kicked 6 goals, had 26 disposals and laid 7 tackles in what was a complete performance. In the next game he had 35 disposals in a Vic Country trial game. Then in the Young guns game, whilst he had much quieter game, the quality of his disposal particularly by hand really stood out. Some of his taps to teammates also showed his footy smarts and awareness.

With a latish birthday, it looks like there's plenty more upside to come and it will be interesting to see the heights he reaches this year. I dare say he won't be available at this pick, but if he was, he would be a great pick up for the dogs especially with the lack of wing options we have on our list.

TDS7

 

[TDS7]

Pick 14 - St. Kilda - Ashton Moir (SA) - 188cm 85kg - General Forward

The prodigal son of this draft class, Moir still has plenty of chances to show why some people considered him a challanger to Harley Reid, Nick Watson, Zane Duursma, and Daniel Curtin. What Ashton really excels at is using his athletic profile to get himself into positions to take brilliant overhead grabs, then slot the goal off either foot. Many players can claim to be ambidextrous, but Moir is a genuine freak with his evasive agility to juke his opponents around and hit up players in practically any situation. While he kicks just as far and as accurately with both feet, in general his ball use leaves a bit to be desired. His work around the ground leaves a lot to be desired, he reads the ball in flight really well but isn't as adept at interpreting a stoppage like Duursma or Wilson are. He's played well at reserves level, but doesn't seem to work well with the menagerie of Academy giants in their forwardline. I feel he's a player who greatly benefits from a structured system, he plays really well in teams where he knows who he's playing with and where they'll be leading to. St. Kilda are a really good team with plenty of pieces, and with Ahston Moir's athleticism and uncanny natural skill he's a high upside prospect that could win them big games in the future.

Also considered were Ryley Sanders, Will Brown, and Harry DeMattia.

roos_fanatic08

 

[roos_fanatic08]

Pick 15 - North Melbourne - Connor O’Sullivan - Murray Bushrangers - 196cm & 85kg

There were a number of players I considered here, and while it may seem as a little bit of a reach to some, O’Sullivan has a tonne of upside to justify being taken inside the top 15. With North severely lacking developing talls, it also makes a lot of sense from a list management perspective.

O’Sullivan has an excellent athletic profile with some speed, a solid leap and good agility for his size. He also has a big frame, so he has the potential to be a big bodied key position player as he develops physically.

As a player he can play a variety of roles forward, back or even as a part time ruck. He looks most settled as a key defender where he can use his closing speed to impact contests. He has shown some ability to intercept, and it is an area of his game I’d expect to improve if he is allowed to settle in one position. He uses the ball well and had a neat set shot routine when playing forward.


goodcop badcop the Doggies are up again.

 

[Bastyy]

Dogs bid on Jake Rogers

Bastyy

Gold Coast match (Assuming I've got the points PMBangers?)

 

[goodcop badcop]

Pick 17 - Western Bulldogs

Logan Evans
188cm, 78kg
Medium Defender

Evans is an intercept defender that reads the play well and is a good overhead mark. His ability to turn defence into attack is first rate with his speed, agility, penetrating foot skills and intercept ability all impressive. Defensively he's more then capable one on one and has good closing speed. He's also been able to stand up physically to bigger bodies, already playing 4 senior games for his SANFL side Norwood and averaging over 4 tackles a game.
To be a bit nit picky, while he has shown he's more then capable defensively, sometimes the balance is not always right and he can play a bit too loose although that can be coached in time. Another one, whilst his disposal is good, to take his game to the next level I would like to see him pull off some more riskier options. His disposal is very good though going at 92% at U18 level last year and at 80% at senior level.

From a needs perspective he's not really a big need for the dogs, but thought he was too good to pass up. That said, I think this could release Richards or Dale to play further up the ground. I had Richards in mind in particular as has the capabilities to move into the midfield.

 

[Davo-27]

Pick 18 Melbourne bid on Will McCabe
Davo-27

We match the bid

Pick 18 - Hawthorn FS - Will McCabe - Central Dist - 197cm 81kg

son of Luke McCabe a small Def in the late 90s early 2000s, Will is a lot taller than his dad, playing mostly as a quick tall Def who shows courage in the marking contest, is clocking up big numbers in the SANFL u18s and played well recently against NSW u18s side, im looking forward to seeing what he can do at the champs, a very exciting father son player for the Hawks, I first noticed him at the u16s champs last year and I believe he made All Australian as an overeager in the u16s.

He has gone from 75kg to 81kg so is building up his strength(still skinny af tbh), he is still very raw at this stage, has had stints up forward with mixed results, but his best seems to be as a defender flying into packs or dashing away as a surprisingly quick big man.

 

[eDPS]

Pick 19 - Melbourne - Jack Delean - 181cm - Forward

Not exactly the highest on my board but the exact type of player I want for the Demons, he is a very classy forward who i would hope forms a great future partnership with Kozi Pickett to give the opposition some headaches. Still fairly light so might take a few years but for me is certainly the next best small forward prospect. Considered Cooper Simpson who can also play as a small forward but will be a mid long term.

 

[Bastyy]

Collingwood bids on Ethan Read (Gold Coast)

PMBangers how many internal organs will Bastyy have to give up?

I will match

 

[Pie 4 Life]

Collingwood select Ryley Sanders (Sandringham Dragons)

Full write up to come but ultimately Tom Mitchell replacement.

Smythe

 

[Smythe]

Sydney select;

Kane McAuliffe - Mid​

Height: 187cm
Weight: 90kg

Winning clearances and using the ball well, he can also spread from the stoppage and be an option.
Seems to fit in playing across both the half forward line and half back line also, he gives teams an option with his versatility. Best used (IMO) in the midfield Kane, as previously stated, can win clearances, take marks and rack up tackles at will.
Averaging 26 disp, 6 tack, 4.5 marks, 5 clearances, 4 i50’s, 4 r50’s and 1 goal per game.
Having an excellent size and athletic profile already I see him as a great option here.

Monocle

 

[Monocle]

Pick # 23. West Coast. Coen Livingston. Perth. 200 cm 96 kg. Forward Ruck.






Probably taken him half a dozen picks early than I would have him ranked , however I don’t think he will be there for my next pick. Been a rapid improver so far this year and he is a player who I want.
Has a skill set that’s scarce in this cohort, whereas I am anticipating that one of the next cluster of tiered player will still be there for my next pick.
So in many ways this is a strategic pick, to ensure I get the shape of the draft that I want.

Coen is a West Coast NGA kid and this time last year if I a honest I was thinking that he was a long shot to make it, he was 197 and whilst tall he was never quite AFL height as a ruckman, what he was then was a tall KPF that at junior age level could serviceable play as a ruck.
Over the summer he has grown an additional 3cm, bulked up and and he has started the Colts season off in spectacular style.
In the five games that he has played he has averaged 16.4 possessions, 28 hit outs and kicked 7 goals 2.
He will be a FF that can play as a good chop out ruck when called up, but i would expect he will be a FF that does a lot of the ruck work in the forward line.
Like a bit of niggle and has a feisty streak that I like.
I see him playing like and filling a role similar to Charlie Dixon

22

Charlie Dixon

Age

33

Ht

200cm

Wt

110kg

Pos.

Fwd

Career

Season

Last 5

D

11.7

3star

K

6.9

3star

HB

4.7

3star

M

4.0

4star

T

2.2

4star

G

1.6

5star

D

10.5

3star

K

7.0

3star

HB

3.5

2star

M

5.0

5star

T

1.5

2star

G

2.5

5star

D

8.2

2star

K

4.4

2star

HB

3.8

3star

M

2.0

3star

T

1.8

4star

G

0.8

4star

.

 

[TDS7]

Pick 24 - Adelaide - Harry DeMattia (VC) - 184cm 77kg - Midfielder/Forward

We've had one attacking midfielder, yes, but how about a second one? DeMattia is an archetypal "Dusty", using his impressive power and athleticism to crash and bash his way through packs at the stoppage and win one-on-ones against the unfortunate defenders who have to pick him up when he pushes deep forward. He's a bit of a butcher by foot when taking contact, but his disposal in space lends me to think this will improve as he builds in the AFL system. His pace, power, and effort at contests are a nightmare for any undersized midfielder trying to coast through a stoppage for an easy clearance. While not necessarily a point of need for the Crows, on talent and upside I think he's the best available.

Also considered: Will Lorenz, Will Brown, Will Patton.

Davo-27 for the Dockers

 

[Davo-27]

Pick 25 - Fremantle - Riley Hardeman - Swan Dist - 185cm

a winger/mid who has been impressive the last 3 years, playing well in a WAFL Colts GF in 2021, having a strong year in 2022 and im looking forward to see if he can progress at the champs later this year, had a WAFL debut and played reserves WAFL last year, so is getting opportunities at state level.

TDS7 you're up