Nathan Ablett has already accomplished the most important thing in AFL, winning a premiership, and now he is going to take a break. Geelong are unlikely to be slowed down next season as they have Tom Hawkins to step into the forward line.
The news shocked the club, with Geelong uncertain when or if the talented goalkicker will return to the top level.
While the Cats remain hopeful Abletts decision is only temporary and that he will return to play in time for their title defence in 2008, there appears serious doubt about Abletts conviction to continue playing.
RELUCTANT Geelong forward Nathan Ablett yesterday dropped a pre-season bombshell by informing the Cats he had retired just three years into a promising football career.
The Cats spent yesterday convincing him to instead take several weeks to clear his head, before coming back to them with a decision in late December.
From the Flying High II, or Airplane II movie, a little breather.
A bit more news with team lists. At Essendon, Matthew Lloyd has been designated as a veteran player and that means the Bombers could take two players in the preseason draft. The Kangaroos, very quietly, have added power forward James Wilsen to their rookie list. He was their NSW scholarship player. The Saints will also have teams feeling the wrath of Khan Haretuku, their 198cm and 96kg NSW scholarship player. As expected, the West Coast Eagles moved along Ben Cousins, he was last seen lining up to buy tickets to a Rick James concert. Four clubs will also bring in new Irish rookies, as Carlton have officially added Michael Shields.
From The AFL site:
ADELAIDE
1. Armstrong, Tony
2. Bassett, Nathan
3. Biglands, Rhett
4. Bock, Nathan
5. Burton, Brett
6. Campbell, Bryce
7. Cook, Myke
8. Dangerfield, Patrick
9. Doughty, Michael
10. Douglas, Richard
11. Edwards, Tyson
12. Gallman, Greg
13. Gill, Nick
14. Goodwin, Simon (veteran outside list)
15. Griffin, Jonathon
16. Hentschel, Trent
17. Jacky, Jarrhan
18. Jericho, Luke
19. Johncock, Graham
20. Kite, Aaron
21. Knights, Chris
22. Mackay, David
23. Maric, Ivan
24. Massie, Kris
25. McGregor, Ken
26. McLeod, Andrew (veteran outside list)
27. Moran, Brad
28. Otten, Andy
29. Porplyzia, Jason
30. Reilly, Brent
31. Rutten, Ben
32. Sellar, James
33. Shirley, Robert
34. Stevens, Scott
35. Symes, Brad
36. Thompson, Scott
37. Tippett, Kurt
38. van Berlo, Nathan
39. Vince, Bernie
40. Walker, Taylor
Rookie List
1.
2.
3.
4.
DELETIONS:
Retired: Mark Ricciuto (veteran outside list)
Exchange period traded: Ben Hudson (Western Bulldogs), Martin Mattner (Sydney), John Meesen (Melbourne)
Delisted: Matthew Bode, John Hinge, Ian Perrie, Darren Pfeiffer, Jason Torney, Scott Welsh (second list lodgment), Rhys Archard (rookie), Andrew McIntyre (rookie), James Turner (rookie)
BRISBANE LIONS
1. Adcock, Jed
2. Austin, Matt
3. Black, Simon
4. Bradshaw, Daniel
5. Brennan, Jared
6. Brown, Jonathan
7. Charman, Jamie
8. Clark, Mitchell
9. Collier, Tom
10. Copeland, Robert
11. Corrie, Anthony
12. Dalziell, Bradd
13. Drummond, Josh
14. Harding, Scott
15. Hawksley, James
16. Henderson, Lachlan
17. Hooper, Rhan
18. Johnstone, Travis
19. Lappin, Nigel (veteran outside list)
20. Leuenberger, Matthew
21. Macdonald, Joel
22. McDonald, Beau
23. McGrath, Ashley
24. Merrett, Daniel
25. Mills, Wayde
26. Moody, Matthew
27. Notting, Tim
28. Patfull, Joel
29. Polkinghorne, James
30. Power, Luke
31. Proud, Albert
32. Rischitelli, Michael
33. Roe, Jason
34. Schmidt, Chris
35. Selwood, Troy
36. Sheldon, Sam
37. Sherman, Justin
38. Stiller, Cheynee
39. Tyler, Matt
Rookie List
1. Begley, Colm
2. Clouston, Scott
3. Dzufer, Daniel
4. Hanley, Pearce
5. Kiel, Haydyn
6. Tippett, Joel
7.
8.
ADDITIONS:
Father/son selection:
Exchange period received: Travis Johnstone (Melbourne)
Rookie elevation: Anthony Corrie
Scholarship elevation:
NAB AFL Draft: Matt Austin (North Ballarat Rebels), Tom Collier (Tassie Mariners), Bradd Dalziell (East Fremantle), Lachlan Henderson (Geelong Falcons), James Polkinghorne (Calder Cannons)
NAB AFL Pre-Season Draft:
NAB AFL Rookie Draft: Pearce Hanley (County Mayo, Ireland)
DELETIONS:
Retired: Chris L. Johnson, Chris Scott, Michael Voss (veteran outside list)
Exchange period traded: Richard Hadley (Carlton), Cameron Wood (Collingwood)
Delisted: Marcus Allan, Ben Fixter, Pat Garner, Will Hamill (rookie)
CARLTON
1. Ackland, Cain
2. Anderson, Joe
3. Armfield, Dennis
4. Austin, Mark
5. Bannister, Jordan
6. Benjamin, Clint
7. Bentick, Adam
8. Betts, Eddie
9. Blackwell, Luke
10. Bower, Paul
11. Browne, Steven
12. Carrazzo, Andrew
13. Cloke, Cameron
14. Edwards, Jake
15. Fevola, Brendan
16. Fisher, Brad
17. Gibbs, Bryce
18. Grigg, Shaun
19. Hadley, Richard
20. Hampson, Shaun
21. Hartlett, Adam
22. Houlihan, Ryan
23. Jackson, Ryan
24. Judd, Chris
25. Kreuzer, Matthew
26. Murphy, Marc
27. O'hAilpin, Aisake
28. O'hAilpin, Setanta
29. Russell, Jordan
30. Saddington, Jason
31. Scotland, Heath
32. Simpson, Kade
33. Stevens, Nick
34. Thornton, Bret
35. Waite, Jarrad
36. Walker, Andrew
37. Wiggins, Simon
38.
Rookie List
1. Jacobs, Sam
2. Jamison, Michael
3. Shields, Michael
4.
5.
6.
ADDITIONS:
Father/son selection:
Exchange period received: Richard Hadley (Brisbane Lions), Chris Judd (West Coast)
Rookie elevation: Ryan Jackson, Aisake O'hAilpin
Scholarship elevation:
NAB AFL Draft: Dennis Armfield (Swan Districts), Steven Browne (West Perth), Matthew Kreuzer (Northern Knights)
NAB AFL Pre-Season Draft:
NAB AFL Rookie Draft: Michael Shields (County Cork, Ireland)
DELETIONS:
Retired: Anthony Koutoufides (veteran inside), Matthew Lappin
Exchange period traded: Josh J. Kennedy (West Coast)
Delisted: Craig Flint, Dylan McLaren, Anthony Raso, David Teague, Lance Whitnall, Ross Young (rookie)
COLLINGWOOD
1. Anthony, John
2. Barham, Jaxson
3. Brown, Nathan J.
4. Bryan, Chris
5. Burns, Scott (veteran outside list)
6. Clarke, Martin
7. Cloke, Travis
8. Cook, Ryan
9. Cox, Shannon
10. Davis, Leon
11. Dawes, Chris
12. Dick, Brad
13. Didak, Alan
14. Egan, Chris
15. Fraser, Josh
16. Goldsack, Tyson
17. Holland, Brodie
18. Iles, Sam
19. Johnson, Ben
20. Lockyer, Tarkyn
21. Lonie, Ryan
22. Maxwell, Nick
23. McCarthy, John
24. Medhurst, Paul
25. O'Bree, Shane
26. O'Brien, Harry
27. Pendlebury, Scott
28. Prestigiacomo, Simon (veteran inside list)
29. Reid, Ben
30. Rocca, Anthony (veteran outside list)
31. Rusling, Sean
32. Shaw, Heath
33. Shaw, Rhyce
34. Stanley, Danny
35. Swan, Dane
36. Thomas, Dale
37. Thoolan, Toby
38. Toovey, Alan
39. Wakelin, Shane
40. Wood, Cameron
Rookie List
1. Dyas, Kevin
2. Macaffer, Brent
3. Wellingham, Sharrod
4.
ADDITIONS:
Father/son selection: Jaxson Barham (Geelong Falcons)
Exchange period received: Cameron Wood (Brisbane Lions)
Rookie elevation: Martin Clarke
Scholarship elevation:
NAB AFL Draft: John McCarthy (Dandenong Stingrays), Toby Thoolan (Bendigo Pioneers)
NAB AFL Pre-Season Draft:
NAB AFL Rookie Draft: Kevin Dyas (County Armagh, Ireland)
DELETIONS:
Retired: Nathan Buckley (veteran outside list), James Clement, Paul Licuria
Exchange period traded: Ben Davies (Kangaroos)
Delisted: Guy Richards, Daniel Nicholls (rookie)
ESSENDON
1. Daniher, Darcy
2. Davey, Alwyn
3. Dempsey, Courtenay
4. Dyson, Ricky
5. Fletcher, Dustin (veteran outside list)
6. Gumbleton, Scott
7. Hille, David
8. Hislop, Tom
9. Hocking, Heath
10. Hooker, Cale
11. Houli, Bachar
12. Jetta, Leroy
13. Johns, Courtney
14. Johnson, Jason
15. Laycock, Jason
16. Lee, Andrew
17. Lloyd, Matthew (veteran outside list)
18. Lonergan, Sam
19. Lovett, Andrew
20. Lovett-Murray, Nathan
21. Lucas, Scott
22. McPhee, Adam
23. McVeigh, Mark
24. Michael, Mal
25. Monfries, Angus
26. Myers, David
27. Nash, Jay
28. Neagle, Jay
29. Pears, Tayte
30. Peverill, Damien
31. Reimers, Kyle
32. Ramanauskas, Adam
33. Ryder, Patrick
34. Slattery, Henry
35. Stanton, Brent
36. Watson, Jobe
37. Welsh, Andrew
38. Winderlich, Jason
39.
40.
Rookie List
1. Chartres, Danny
2. Dick, Dean
3.
4.
DELETIONS:
Retired: Mark Bolton, Scott Camporeale, Chris Heffernan, James Hird (veteran inside list)
Exchange period traded:
Delisted: Kepler Bradley, Richard Cole, Mark Johnson, Lachlan McKinnon (rookie)
FREMANTLE
1. Bell, Peter
2. Black, Heath
3. Bradley, Kepler
4. Browne, Andrew
5. Campbell, Adam
6. Carr, Josh
7. Carr, Matthew
8. Crowley, Ryan
9. Dodd, Steven
10. Drum, Marcus
11. Duffield, Paul
12. Farmer, Jeff
13. Foster, Andrew
14. Gilmore, Daniel
15. Grover, Antoni
16. Hasleby, Paul
17. Hayden, Roger
18. Headland, Des
19. Hinkley, Clayton
20. Ibbotson, Garrick
21. Johnson, Mark
22. Johnson, Michael
23. Mayne, Chris
24. McManus, Shaun (veteran outside list)
25. McPharlin, Luke
26. Mundy, David
27. Murphy, Ryan
28. O'Brien, Brock
29. Palmer, Rhys
30. Pavlich, Matthew
31. Peake, Brett
32. Sandilands, Aaron
33. Schammer, Byron
34. Solomon, Dean
35. Tarrant, Chris
36. Thornton, Scott
37. Warnock, Robert
38. Webster, Luke
39.
Rookie List
1. Smith, Chris
2.
3.
4.
5.
ADDITIONS:
Father/son selection:
Exchange period received:
Rookie elevation: Andrew Foster
Scholarship elevation:
NAB AFL Draft: Kepler Bradley (Essendon), Clayton Hinkley (North Ballarat Rebels), Mark Johnson (Essendon), Chris Mayne (Perth), Rhys Palmer (East Fremantle)
NAB AFL Pre-Season Draft:
NAB AFL Rookie Draft:
DELETIONS:
Retired: Troy Cook, Justin Longmuir, Shane Parker (veteran outside list)
Exchange period traded:
Delisted: Clayton Collard, Ryley Dunn, Robert Haddrill, Calib Mourish, James Walker, Benet Copping (rookie), Darren Rumble (rookie)
GEELONG
1. Ablett, Gary
2. Ablett, Nathan
3. Bartel, Jimmy
4. Blake, Mark
5. Byrnes, Shannon
6. Chapman, Paul
7. Corey, Joel
8. Davenport, Jason
9. Djerrkura, Nathan
10. Donohue, Adam
11. Egan, Matthew
12. Enright, Corey
13. Gamble, Ryan
14. Harley, Tom
15. Hawkins, Tom
16. Hogan, Simon
17. Hunt, Josh
18. Johnson, David
19. Johnson, Steve
20. Kelly, James
21. Ling, Cameron
22. Lonergan, Tom
23. Mackie, Andrew
24. McKenna, Dan
25. Milburn, Darren (veteran outside list)
26. Mooney, Cameron
27. Ottens, Brad
28. Prismall, Brent
29. Rooke, Max
30. Scarlett, Matthew
31. Selwood, Joel
32. Simpson, Dawson
33. Simpson, Scott
34. Stokes, Mathew
35. Taylor, Harry
36. Tenace, Kane
37. Varcoe, Travis
38. West, Trent
39. Wojcinski, David
Rookie List
1. Bedford, Liam
2.
3.
4.
5.
ADDITIONS:
Father/son selection: Adam Donohue (Geelong Falcons)
Exchange period received:
Rookie elevation: Jason Davenport, Tom Lonergan
Scholarship elevation:
NAB AFL Draft: Dan McKenna (Gippsland Power), Dawson Simpson (Murray Bushrangers), Scott Simpson (Dandenong Stingrays), Harry Taylor (East Fremantle)
NAB AFL Pre-Season Draft:
NAB AFL Rookie Draft:
DELETIONS:
Retired:
Exchange period traded: Tim Callan (Western Bulldogs), Charlie Gardiner (St Kilda), Steven King (St Kilda), Henry Playfair (Sydney)
Delisted: Sam Hunt, Stephen Owen, Matthew Spencer, Todd Grima (rookie), Joel Reynolds (rookie)
HAWTHORN
1. Bailey, Max
2. Bateman, Chance
3. Birchall, Grant
4. Boyle, Tim
5. Brown, Campbell
6. Campbell, Robert
7. Clarke, Tim
8. Crawford, Shane (veteran outside list)
9. Croad, Trent
10. Dawson, Zac
11. Dew, Stuart
12. Dowler, Beau
13. Ellis, Xavier
14. Franklin, Lance
15. Gilham, Stephen
16. Guerra, Brent
17. Hodge, Luke
18. Jacobs, Danny
19. Kennedy, Josh P.
20. Ladson, Rick
21. Lewis, Jordan
22. McEntee, Luke
23. McGlynn, Ben
24. Mitchell, Sam
25. Morton, Jarryd
26. Moss, Garry
27. Murphy, Tom
28. Muston, Beau
29. Osborne, Michael
30. Renouf, Brent
31. Rioli, Cyril
32. Roughead, Jarryd
33. Sewell, Brad
34. Taylor, Simon
35. Thorp, Mitchell
36. Tuck, Travis
37. Whitecross, Brendan
38. Williams, Mark
39. Young, Clinton
Rookie List
1. Suckling, Matt
2.
3.
4.
5.
DELETIONS:
Retired: Ben Dixon (veteran outside list), Joel Smith, Richie Vandenberg
Exchange period traded:
Delisted: Matt Little, Josh Thurgood, Brett Collins (rookie), Sam Gibson (rookie)
KANGAROOS
1. Adams, Leigh
2. Brown, Leigh
3. Campbell, Matt
4. Davies, Ben
5. Edwards, Aaron
6. Firrito, Michael
7. Gibson, Josh
8. Goldstein, Todd
9. Grant, Shannon
10. Greenwood, Levi
11. Grima, Blake
12. Hale, David
13. Hansen, Lachlan
14. Harding, Leigh
15. Harris, Daniel
16. Harvey, Brent (veteran outside list)
17. Jones, Corey
18. Lower, Ed
19. McIntosh, Hamish
20. McMahon, Scott
21. Petrie, Drew
22. Power, Sam
23. Pratt, Daniel
24. Rawlings, Brady
25. Riggio, Matt
26. Ross, Ben
27. Sansbury, Eddie
28. Simpson, Adam (veteran outside list)
29. Sinclair, Jess
30. Smith, Jesse W.
31. Smith, Josh
32. Swallow, Andrew
33. Tarrant, Robbie
34. Thomas, Lindsay
35. Thompson, Nathan
36. Thompson, Scott
37. Urquhart, Gavin
38. Warren, Ben
39. Watt, Shannon
40. Wells, Daniel
Rookie List
1. Wilsen, James
2.
3.
4.
ADDITIONS:
Father/son selection:
Exchange period received: Ben Davies (Collingwood), Sam Power (Western Bulldogs)
Rookie elevation: Leigh Adams, Matt Campbell
Scholarship elevation: James Wilsen (third list lodgment)
NAB AFL Draft: Levi Greenwood (Port Adelaide Magpies), Blake Grima (Kangaroos), Josh Smith (West Perth), Robbie Tarrant (Bendigo Pioneers), Scott Thompson (Geelong VFL)
NAB AFL Pre-Season Draft:
NAB AFL Rookie Draft:
DELETIONS:
Retired: Glenn Archer (veteran outside list), Kasey Green, Jonathan Hay
Exchange period traded: Brad Moran (Adelaide)
Delisted: Blake Grima (second list lodgment), Daniel McConnell, David Trotter, Callum Urch, Djaran Whyman, Ben Hughes (rookie), Tim Hutchison (rookie)
MELBOURNE
1. Bartram, Clint
2. Bate, Matthew
3. Bell, Daniel
4. Bode, Jace
5. Bruce, Cameron
6. Buckley, Simon
7. Carroll, Nathan
8. Cheney, Kyle
9. Davey, Aaron
10. Dunn, Lynden
11. Frawley, James
12. Garland, Colin
13. Green, Brad
14. Grimes, Jack
15. Holland, Ben
16. Jamar, Mark
17. Johnson, Chris A.
18. Johnson, Paul
19. Jones, Nathan
20. Maric, Addam
21. McDonald, James
22. McLean, Brock
23. McNamara, Tom
24. Meesen, John
25. Miller, Brad
26. Moloney, Brent
27. Morton, Cale
28. Neitz, David (veteran outside list)
29. Newton, Michael
30. Petterd, Ricky
31. Rivers, Jared
32. Robertson, Russell
33. Sylvia, Colin
34. Warnock, Matthew
35. Weetra, Isaac
36. Wheatley, Paul
37. Whelan, Matthew
38. White, Jeff (veteran inside list)
39. Yze, Adem (veteran outside list)
40.
Rookie List
1.
2.
3.
4.
ADDITIONS:
Father/son selection:
Exchange period received: John Meesen (Adelaide)
Rookie elevation: Jace Bode
Scholarship elevation:
NAB AFL Draft: Kyle Cheney (North Ballarat Rebels), Jack Grimes (Northern Knights), Addam Maric (Calder Cannons), Tom McNamara (South Adelaide), Cale Morton (Claremont)
NAB AFL Pre-Season Draft:
NAB AFL Rookie Draft:
DELETIONS:
Retired: Clint Bizzell, Nathan D. Brown, Byron Pickett
Exchange period traded: Travis Johnstone (Brisbane Lions)
Delisted: Ryan Ferguson, Simon Godfrey, Heath Neville, Daniel Ward, Daniel Hayes (rookie), Daniel Hughes (rookie), Shane Neaves (rookie)
PORT ADELAIDE
1. Bentley, Greg
2. Boak, Travis
3. Brogan, Dean
4. Burgoyne, Peter
5. Burgoyne, Shaun
6. Carlile, Alipate
7. Cassisi, Domenic
8. Chaplin, Troy
9. Cockshell, Adam
10. Cornes, Chad
11. Cornes, Kane
12. Deluca, Fabian
13. Ebert, Brett
14. Farmer, Mitchell
15. Giles, Jonathan
16. Gray, Robert
17. Krakouer, Nathan
18. Lade, Brendon (veteran outside list)
19. Lobbe, Matthew
20. Logan, Tom
21. Lonie, Nathan
22. Lower, Nick
23. Minson, Hugh
24. Motlop, Daniel
25. Motlop, Marlon
26. Pearce, Danyle
27. Pettigrew, Michael
28. Rodan, David
29. Salopek, Steven
30. Stewart, Paul
31. Surjan, Jacob
32. Thomas, Matt
33. Thomson, Adam
34. Thurstans, Toby
35. Tredrea, Warren
36. Westhoff, Justin
37. Westhoff, Matthew
38. White, Damon
39. Williams, Ryan
40. Wilson, Michael (veteran outside list)
Rookie List
1. Grose, Gavin
2.
3.
4.
DELETIONS:
Retired: Josh Mahoney, Darryl Wakelin
Exchange period traded: Brad Symes (Adelaide)
Delisted: Ryan Willits (second list lodgment), Nathan Batsanis (rookie), Peter Hardy (rookie), Alex Lee (rookie)
RICHMOND
1. Bowden, Joel (veteran outside list)
2. Brown, Nathan G.
3. Casserly, Travis
4. Collins, Andrew
5. Connors, Daniel
6. Cotchin, Trent
7. Coughlan, Mark
8. Deledio, Brett
9. Edwards, Shane
10. Foley, Nathan
11. Graham, Angus
12. Hughes, Cleve
13. Hyde, Chris
14. Jackson, Daniel
15. Johnson, Kane
16. King, Jake
17. McGuane, Luke
18. McMahon, Jordan
19. Meyer, Danny
20. Moore, Kelvin
21. Morton, Mitch
22. Newman, Chris
23. Oakley-Nicholls, Jarrad
24. Pattison, Adam
25. Pettifer, Kayne
26. Polak, Graham
27. Polo, Dean
28. Putt, Dean
29. Raines, Andrew
30. Rance, Alex
31. Richardson, Matthew (veteran outside list)
32. Riewoldt, Jack
33. Schulz, Jay
34. Simmonds, Troy
35. Tambling, Richard
36. Thursfield, Will
37. Tivendale, Greg
38. Tuck, Shane
39. White, Matthew
40.
Rookie List
1.
2.
3.
4.
ADDITIONS:
Father/son selection:
Exchange period received: Jordan McMahon (Western Bulldogs), Mitch Morton (West Coast)
Rookie elevation: Angus Graham, Jake King
Scholarship elevation:
NAB AFL Draft: Trent Cotchin (Northern Knights), Dean Putt (Calder Cannons), Alex Rance (Swan Districts)
NAB AFL Pre-Season Draft:
NAB AFL Rookie Draft:
DELETIONS:
Retired: Darren Gaspar (veteran outside list), Ray Hall, Kent Kingsley, Trent Knobel
Exchange period traded:
Delisted: Patrick Bowden, Brent Hartigan, Andrew Krakouer, Carl Peterson, Tas Clingan (rookie), Cam Howat (rookie)
ST KILDA
1. Allen, Jarryd
2. Armitage, David
3. Baker, Steven
4. Ball, Luke
5. Birss, Shane
6. Blake, Jason
7. Clarke, Raphael
8. Clarke, Xavier
9. Connors, Eljay
10. Dal Santo, Nick
11. Dempster, Sean
12. Ferguson, Matthew
13. Fiora, Aaron
14. Fisher, Leigh
15. Fisher, Sam
16. Gardiner, Charlie
17. Gardiner, Michael
18. Geary, Jarryn
19. Gehrig, Fraser
20. Gilbert, Sam
21. Goddard, Brendon
22. Gram, Jason
23. Gwilt, James
24. Harvey, Robert (veteran inside list)
25. Hayes, Lenny
26. Howard, Brad
27. Hudghton, Max (veteran inside list)
28. Jones, Clinton
29. King, Steven
30. Koschitzke, Justin
31. Maguire, Matt
32. McEvoy, Ben
33. Milne, Stephen
34. Montagna, Leigh
35. Riewoldt, Nick
36. Rix, Michael
37. Schneider, Adam
38. Steven, Jack
Rookie List
1. Attard, Jayden
2. Eddy, Robert
3. Haretuku, Khan
4. van Rheenen, Luke
5.
6.
ADDITIONS:
Father/son selection:
Exchange period received: Sean Dempster (Sydney), Charlie Gardiner (Geelong), Steven King (Geelong), Adam Schneider (Sydney)
Rookie elevation: Jarryn Geary, Clinton Jones
Scholarship elevation: Khan Haretuku (rookie)
NAB AFL Draft: Eljay Connors (Bendigo Pioneers), Fraser Gehrig (St Kilda), Ben McEvoy (Murray Bushrangers), Jack Steven (Geelong Falcons)
NAB AFL Pre-Season Draft:
NAB AFL Rookie Draft:
DELETIONS:
Retired: Matthew Clarke, Fraser Gehrig, Aaron Hamill, Andrew Thompson, Brett Voss
Exchange period traded:
Delisted: Barry Brooks, Andrew McQualter, Phil Raymond, Justin Sweeney, Fergus Watts, James Wall (rookie)
SYDNEY
1. Ablett, Luke
2. Barlow, Ed
3. Barry, Leo (veteran outside list)
4. Bevan, Paul
5. Bird, Craig
6. Bolton, Craig
7. Bolton, Jude
8. Brabazon, Ryan
9. Brennan, Luke
10. Buchanan, Amon
11. Crouch, Jared
12. Currie, Daniel
13. Davis, Nick
14. Everitt, Peter
15. Faulks, Peter
16. Fosdike, Nic
17. Goodes, Adam
18. Grundy, Heath
19. Hall, Barry
20. Jack, Kieren
21. Jolly, Darren
22. Kennelly, Tadhg
23. Kirk, Brett
24. Laidlaw, Matthew
25. Malceski, Nick
26. Mathews, Ben
27. Mattner, Martin
28. McVeigh, Jarrad
29. Meredith, Brett
30. Moore, Jarred
31. O'Keefe, Daniel
32. O'Keefe, Ryan
33. O'Loughlin, Michael (veteran outside list)
34. Playfair, Henry
35. Richards, Ted
36. Roberts-Thomson, Lewis
37. Schmidt, Tim
38. Thornton, Kristin
39. Veszpremi, Patrick
40. White, Jesse
Rookie List
1. Murphy, Brendan
2. Orreal, Jake
3. Smith, Nick
4.
5.
6.
7.
ADDITIONS:
Father/son selection:
Exchange period received: Martin Mattner (Adelaide), Henry Playfair (Geelong)
Rookie elevation: Ed Barlow, Luke Brennan, Kieren Jack
Scholarship elevation: Craig Bird
NAB AFL Draft: Brett Meredith (Northern Knights), Patrick Veszpremi (Northern Knights)
NAB AFL Pre-Season Draft:
NAB AFL Rookie Draft: Brendan Murphy (County Carlow, Ireland), Jake Orreal (Queensland, non-registered player)
DELETIONS:
Retired: Stephen Doyle
Exchange period traded: Sean Dempster (St Kilda), Adam Schneider (St Kilda)
Delisted: Jonathan Simpkin, Simon Phillips, Luke Vogels, Matthew Davis (rookie), Matthew O'Dwyer (rookie), Sam Rowe (rookie), Earl Shaw (rookie)
WEST COAST
1. Armstrong, Steven
2. Braun, Michael (veteran outside list)
3. Brown, Mitchell
4. Butler, Sam
5. Cox, Dean
6. Ebert, Brad
7. Embley, Andrew
8. Fletcher, Chad
9. Glass, Darren
10. Graham, Jaymie
11. Hansen, Ashley
12. Houlihan, Tim
13. Hunter, Adam
14. Hurn, Shannon
15. Jones, Brett
16. Jones, Chad
17. Kennedy, Josh J.
18. Kerr, Daniel
19. LeCras, Mark
20. Lynch, Quinten
21. Mackenzie, Eric
22. Masten, Chris
23. McKinley, Ben
24. McNamara, Jamie
25. Nicoski, Mark
26. Notte, Tony
27. Priddis, Matt
28. Rosa, Matt
29. Schofield, Will
30. Seaby, Mark
31. Selwood, Adam
32. Selwood, Scott
33. Spangher, Matthew
34. Staker, Brent
35. Stenglein, Tyson
36. Thomson, James
37. Waters, Beau
38. Wirrpunda, David
39.
Rookie List
1. Davis, Ryan
2.
3.
4.
5.
ADDITIONS:
Father/son selection:
Exchange period received: Josh J. Kennedy (Carlton)
Rookie elevation: Chad Jones, Jamie McNamara
Scholarship elevation: Ryan Davis (rookie)
NAB AFL Draft: Brad Ebert (Port Adelaide Magpies), Chris Masten (East Fremantle), Tony Notte (Swan Districts), Scott Selwood (Bendigo Pioneers)
NAB AFL Pre-Season Draft:
NAB AFL Rookie Draft:
DELETIONS:
Retired: Rowan Jones, Josh Wooden
Exchange period traded: Chris Judd (Carlton), Mitch Morton (Richmond)
Delisted: Daniel Chick, Ben Cousins (third list lodgment), Ashley Sampi, Ben Sharp (rookie), Llane Spaanderman (rookie), Ashley Thornton (rookie), Beau Wilkes (rookie)
WESTERN BULLDOGS
1. Addison, Dylan
2. Akermanis, Jason
3. Boumann, Jarrad
4. Boyd, Matthew
5. Callan, Tim
6. Cooney, Adam
7. Cross, Daniel
8. Eagleton, Nathan
9. Everitt, Andrejs
10. Giansiracusa, Daniel
11. Gilbee, Lindsay
12. Grant, Jarrad
13. Griffen, Ryan
14. Hahn, Mitchell
15. Harbrow, Jarrod
16. Hargrave, Ryan
17. Harris, Brian
18. Higgins, Shaun
19. Hill, Josh
20. Hudson, Ben
21. Johnson, Brad (veteran outside list)
22. Lynch, Malcolm
23. McDougall, Andrew
24. Minson, Will
25. Morris, Dale
26. Murphy, Robert
27. O'Keefe, Guy
28. O'Shea, Paul
29. Ray, Farren
30. Reid, Sam
31. Skipper, Wayde
32. Stack, Brennan
33. Street, Peter
34. Tiller, Stephen
35. Ward, Callan
36. West, Scott (veteran outside list)
37. Wight, Cameron
38. Williams, Tom
39. Wood, Easton
40.
Rookie List
1. Hughes, Gavin
2.
3.
4.
ADDITIONS:
Father/son selection:
Exchange period received: Tim Callan (Geelong), Ben Hudson (Adelaide)
Rookie elevation: Jarrod Harbrow
Scholarship elevation:
NAB AFL Draft: Jarrad Boumann (Dandenong Stingrays), Jarrad Grant (Dandenong Stingrays), Guy O'Keefe (Geelong Falcons), Sam Reid (Zillmere), Callan Ward (Western Jets), Easton Wood (Camperdown)
NAB AFL Pre-Season Draft:
NAB AFL Rookie Draft:
DELETIONS:
Retired: Luke Darcy, Chris Grant (veteran outside list), Brett Montgomery, Matthew Robbins
Exchange period traded: Jordan McMahon (Richmond), Sam Power (Kangaroos)
Delisted: Travis Baird, Cameron Faulkner, Damian McCormack, Tim Walsh, Marty Pask (rookie), Michael West (rookie)
NOTES
Father/son selections: The three father/son selections Jaxson Barham (Collingwood), Darcy Daniher (Essendon) and Adam Donohue (Geelong) were claimed by their respective clubs in October, but were officially selected in the NAB AFL Draft.
Scholarship elevations: Five New South Wales scholarship players were elevated Taylor Walker (Adelaide) and Craig Bird (Sydney) to senior lists and James Wilsen (Kangaroos third list lodgment), Khan Haretuku (St Kilda) and Ryan Davis (West Coast) to rookie lists.
Kangaroos: Blake Grima was delisted when the second list lodgments were submitted, but he was subsequently redrafted by the Kangaroos in the NAB AFL Draft.
St Kilda: Fraser Gehrig retired after the 2007 season and was delisted when the first list lodgments were submitted, but he decided to make comeback and was subsequently redrafted by St Kilda in the NAB AFL Draft.
The thought of going to the Tigers or Blues has kept small forward Ash McGrath with Brisbane. There was a chance he would enter the preseason draft but he will now stay with the Lions for one more year.
McGrath is not the only Lion to stay with the club after viewing the possible destinations in the preseason draft, the one-hand man Jared Brennan and defender Mr Drummond also had offers to move South but decided to stay in Brisbane.
The Crows are having a spring cleanout, the underperforming players are staying, it is the match-day memorabilia that is being sent out.
Fans of Luke Jericho, and of many other Adelaide players, can purchase the warmup tops.
There are auctions for the 2007 Warm-Up Tops for the following players. Rhett Biglands, Matthew Bode, Bryce Campbell, Michael Doughty, Richard Douglas, Nick Gill, Jonathon Griffin, Trent Hentschel, John Hinge, Ben Hudson, Luke Jericho, Chris Knights, David Mackay, Ivan Maric, Kris Massie, Martin Mattner, Ken McGregor, John Meesen, Ian Perrie, Darren Pfeiffer, Jason Porplyzia, Brent Reilly, James Sellar, Robert Shirley, Scott Stevens, Kurt Tippett, Jason Torney, Nathan van Berlo, Bernie Vince and. Scott Welsh
He's won a Grand Final, once kicked 50 goals in a season, and a short kick for him travels 50m, at pick 45 in the draft it was a great move by Hawthorn to grab Stuart Dew.
Some are not impressed by Hawthorn selecting Dew, but it was a move of very little risk and there could be a big reward if Dew gets a few kicks in September. Campbell and Taylor just need to watch some film of Lade in action, with the hitout over the back to Dew who kicks the long goal.
At Hawthorn, they don't have a lot of finals experience among their playing group, mostly what they did this year, so Dew is a player who has been there before, and won too. Ben Dixon retired, so an area of need was a medium forward, Dew can be a more effective player than Dixon, due to Dew's kicking range.
One impressive stat for Dew is how he increased his tackling in the last two years he was at the Power. That shows he will try to put the effort in. The Power won in 2004, and the next year Dew had around double the tackles of 2004.
Dew knows what his strength is, kicking the ball, and that is what the majority of his disposals have been over his career. There were a few Hawthorn games in 2007 when they wouldn't, or couldn't, kick it long. Dew won't be chipping the ball around, he will either be kicking goals or getting it up to the forward area quickly so Franklin or another tall forward can mark the ball.
Brennan Stack went at 45 a year ago, Kasey Green was chosen at that spot by the Kangaroos a couple of years ago. Neither of those players has the match-winning potential that Dew does. So at the part of the draft that Dew was chosen, it wasn't a bad idea to go with a veteran with unique skills.
Due to the great drafting that the Hawks have had over recent seasons they are loaded with young talent. They actually have a problem, that everyone else would like, as they need to figure out where in the team they can put Thorp, Renouf, Kennedy, Tuck, Bailey and a couple of guys called Beau. Another young player at pick 45 would have just been depth at Box Hill, but with Dew they could have the final piece that they need.
There was a "Fridge" in the AFL, who was sometimes said to be a bit big, but another thing he did was win. Here is the original "Fridge", from another sport, showing that it can be tougher to stop a big-man than it would be to tackle a little shrimpy player.
More than a few preseason and rookie picks will be used on the players below. From the AFL site.
Adelaide - nil
Brisbane Lions - Patrick Garner (Brisbane Lions); William Hamill (Brisbane Lions rookie); Pearce Hanley (Ballanghaderreen, Ireland)
Carlton - Michael Shields (County Cork, Ireland)
Collingwood - Ryan Colbert (Old Xavierians); Kevin Dyas (County Armagh, Ireland); Michael Griffiths (East Fremantle); Daniel Nichols (Collingwood rookie); James Wall (St Kilda rookie)
Essendon - Ashley Arrowsmith (Calder Cannons); Jarrod Atkinson (Bendigo Bombers); Tom Bellchambers (Launceston); James Bristow (Gippsland Power); Brent Connelly (Gippsland Power); Tim Plummer (Bendigo Bombers)
Hawthorn - James Allan (Box Hill Hawks); Luke Barker (Box Hills Hawks); Nathan Batsanis (Port Adelaide rookie); Brett Collins (Hawthorn rookie); Joel Coombes (Box Hill Hawks); Ed Curnow (Geelong Falcons); Stefan Garrubba (Casey Scorpions); Sam Gibson (Hawthorn rookie); Jackson Hall (Gippsland Power); Adam Iacobucci (Northern Bullants); Tom Langford (Port Melbourne); Andrew McQualter (St Kilda); Lukas Markovic (Box Hill Hawks); Ryan Normington (Murray Bushrangers); Hugh Sandilands (Oakleigh Chargers); Phil Smith (Calder Cannons); Phil Zarra (Sandringham)
Kangaroos - Jarrod Bannister (Northern Bullants); David Trotter (Kangaroos); James Wilsen (St George)
Melbourne - Andrew Campbell (Melbourne); Daniel Hughes (Melbourne rookie); Chris Kangars (Geelong Falcons); Nathan Lyons (Western Jets); Stef Martin (Sandringham); Stephen Morris (Western Jets); Alister Neville (Coburg); Daniel Noy (Eastern Ranges); Ashley Sampi (West Coast); Jonathan Simpkin (Sydney); Peter Summers (Sandringham); David Teasdale (Sandringham Dragons);Shane Valenti (Sandringham)
Port Adelaide - Sam Fairclough (Woodville West Torrens); Nathan Grima (Central Districts); Todd Grima (Geelong rookie); Daniel Havelberg (Central Districts); James Moss (Central Districts); Alan Obst (Central Districts); Nick Salter (Woodville West Torrens); Ryan Willits (West Adelaide)
Richmond - Daniel Boyle (Murray Bushrangers); Ian Callinan (Central Districts); Clayton Collard (East Fremantle); David Fanning (Port Melbourne); Joe Gazzo (Coburg); David Gourdis (Subiaco); Andrew Horne (Coburg); Cam Howat (Richmond rookie); Jarrod Silvester (Coburg); Will Sullivan (Western Jets); Chris Varsamakis (Eltham); Chris Waller (Beaumaris); Trent Zorner (Eastern Ranges)
St Kilda - Michael Barlow (Shepparton United); Glen Chivers (Oakleigh Chargers)
Sydney - Brendan Murphy (County Carlow Ireland); Matt O'Dwyer (Sydney); Jake Orreal (no previous club); Sam Rowe (Sydney)
West Coast - Ashley Thornton (West Coast Eagles rookie); Beau Wilkes (West Coast Eagles rookie)
Western Bulldogs - Cameron Lockwood (Williamstown); Scott Meyer (Williamstown); Liam Picken (Williamstown); Patrick Rose (Williamstown); Ryan Williams (La Trobe)
The Kangaroos and Bulldogs are hoping they have a couple of future superstars in Robbie Tarrant and Andrejs Everitt. The Kangaroos used an early pick to take the brother of Chris, and the Bulldogs have given Everitt the number 3 to wear after one season at the club.
The confident Tarrant even managed to throw in a quick gag about his brothers sometimes wayward kicking and his attempts to teach him to kick as he was growing up.
Here is the first of 16 teams that will be posted that are constructed from the most recent draft picks. All of the players were selected in the 2007, 2006, 2005 and 2004 AFL National Drafts, although for some teams they didn't have enough players so the 2003 draft was used too. Plenty of players will be in unfamiliar positions, as some teams didn't select certain types of players during this time. Players that were recently drafted, young stars of the game, and even quite a number who were delisted a year or two ago, all comprise these teams.
FB Brett Montgomery, Paul O'Shea, Easton Wood
HB Andrejs Everitt, Tom Williams, Brennan Stack
C Sam Reid, Dylan Addison, Josh Hill
HF Malcolm Lynch, Jarrad Grant, Travis Baird
FF Shaun Higgins, Stephen Tiller, Damian McCormack
The Dream Team versus Victoria game is popular with some people, in an unpopular way, and if Graham Cornes is the owner of the bandwagon he is allowing plenty of others to jump on too. It is certainly livening up the offseason.
Carlton nearly have a zone going on over there, and they are going back to the place that brought them the exciting O'hAilpins to sign another prospect.
Michael Shields from County Cork is expected to join the Blues. According to some information on the internet, Shields has won a "Munster Title", nothing wrong with that.
Here is some good news, AFL clubs are generating so much media exposure that their sponsors are getting a bargain. So membership prices can stay down, as the sponsors can afford to pay a bit, or maybe a lot, more.
With Geelong's big year, the blue oval was everywhere on TV and in newspapers. The monetary advantage of having a high-profile coach at a club would have also been evident as the Bombers provided a lot of exposure for their sponsor too, due in a big part to Sheedy.
"The average cost of being a club sponsor in the AFL is about $1 million, so those sponsors are getting an average of $3.50 (in media exposure) for every dollar they invest," according to Guy Port, of sponsorship measurement firm S-Comm, which conducted the survey.
More teams could join this list for having preseason picks, and some uncontracted players could also be surprise nominations, so here is an early look at what might happen for the preseason draft.
1 Richmond: Tom Bellchambers
Richmond are looking at a number of players with this pick, including ruckmen Guy Richards and David Fanning. Bellchambers, or Will Sullivan, would give them a younger player to develop. Putt, who they took in the national draft, is a forward/ruckman so Bellchambers would give them more of a traditional ruckman to develop too.
2 Carlton: David Gourdis
They need to find a centre half forward, and from the players that were not drafted here is the one to take. Hugh Sandilands would be a player to take for a tall defensive spot.
3 Melbourne: Chris Kangars
The Demons had a very successful draft, and their picks were used on players with fundamental skills and a good understanding of the game. If they pick Kangars, they can add a project player who could be used in a number of spots. Maybe he could become a midfield tagger to take the role that Godfrey used to have. There are also some of the Sandringham VFL players, like Valenti and Summers, who could be drafted by Melbourne.
4 Western Bulldogs: Scott Welsh
Welsh will provide some help next to Brad Johnson in the forward line. If one of the teams ahead of the Bulldogs decides to take Welsh, then Haelen Kay could be an option as one of the players who was not picked in the national draft. If they do want an older player who would be more likely to help in 2008, then Todd Grima would make sense.
5 Essendon: Cameron Howat
They still need a bit more run, and Howat could provide that from the half back flank. Aaron Joseph would be an option if they want to have more centre-square options. Alister Neville would give them a bit more size for the midfield too.
6 Fremantle: Will Sullivan
Maybe they have a local player in mind, or redrafting one of the players they previously delisted, but the Dockers do need another ruckman behind Sandilands and Warnock. Sullivan might be someone they could use on their list. If they want another medium forward then Ashley Arrowsmith might be a good fit.
7 West Coast: Ryan Willits
The Eagles should get a preseason pick, when they finally officially delist you-know-who, and they will have a spot on their list for another ruckman. Willits could give them a someone with a big body and some marking ability. They could instead go for a younger ruckman who was missed in the draft, or a ruckman from the VFL or WAFL. Maybe they want that extra small forward, and someone like Peter Rolfe could be considered.
Saverio Rocca played in one of the biggest games of the NFL season, as the Eagles almost got the win over the undefeated Patriots.
Rocca is having a solid season for Philadelphia, and his statistics are no worse than what their previous punter used to do, but Rocca is yet to really unleash his big boot. The Eagles are 5 and 6 and need to hit a streak of wins to make the playoffs.
Australians Ben Graham and Mat McBriar competed against each other this round. Ben Graham could tell him about what it was like to play in an AFL Grand Final, but McBriar will probably have a Super Bowl story to tell after this season. Graham's Jets lost to the Cowboys, 34 to 3. The Jets have won only 2 of their games, the Cowboys are 10 and 1.
A while ago, a Yahoo Sports NFL team was drafted. The AFL Insider NFL Fantasy Team is now winning its league, with a record of 8 wins and 4 losses. This fantasy team actually has a "J Brown" who is kicking for plenty of fantasy points, although it is not Jonathan Brown, it is Josh Brown who kicks field goals and PATs.
James Polkinghorne may have been a huge Hawthorn supporter but the next best thing to being drafted by the Hawks would have to be ending up on the team coached by the greatest ever Hawk, Leigh Matthews.
LIONS coach Leigh Matthews' first exchange with new recruit James Polkinghorne contained a whimsical wish . . . "I hope you kick better than your uncle".
"I don't know whether David's kicking skills would survive in the possession era we play in but he was a great competitor and we hope that has rubbed off in the family genes. They do say James is a great competitor."
The AFLs Victoria versus the conglomerate of other states game is not getting the full support of Graham Cornes. To say he is more than a little displeased with the concept would be a large understatement. But it still makes for entertaining reading.
According to a poll on the AFL site, people were surprised to see Dew return to football. The Mark Johnson drafting looked like it was the biggest shock, but only 1 in 5 people thought so with the poll.
Which of the former AFL players drafted was the most unexpected?
Stuart Dew (Hawthorn) (34%)
Fraser Gehrig (St Kilda) (25%)
Mark Johnson (Fremantle) (20%)
Blake Grima (Kangaroos) (16%)
Kepler Bradley (Fremantle) (5%)
While a fit and firing Dew would be a walk up start for the Hawks next season, Pelchen is quietly confident Hawk fans will see Rioli and Whitecross at senior level.
Maybe the teams will look a bit like the ones below. Although how the players are allocated to the teams, and who is picking them could bring about some interesting teams. It looks like Victoria will struggle to contain the combined might of everyone else.
The Rest
FB T Lockyer, D Glass, B Rutten
HB A McLeod, A Hunter, P Burgoyne
C S Black, K Cornes, J Corey
HF A Embley, N Riewoldt, L Franklin
FF A Cooney, M Pavlich, P Bell
Foll D Cox, C Cornes, B Kirk
bench B Lade, M Johnson, S Burgoyne,
J Carr, D Kerr, B Ottens, S Goodwin
Victoria
FB H Shaw, M Scarlett, J Smith
HB L Hodge, D Fletcher, J Bartel
C A Goodes, S Mitchell, B Deledio
HF D Thomas, S Lucas, D Petrie
FF G Ablett, J Brown, B Johnson
Foll J White, C Judd, B Harvey
bench J Fraser, C Bruce, S West,
D Neitz, B Stanton, N Dal Santo, S Pendlebury
NAB AFL Draft: Tony Armstrong (Calder Cannons), Aaron Kite (Calder Cannons), Myke Cook (Sandringham Dragons), Patrick Dangerfield (Geelong Falcons), Jarrhan Jacky (Subiaco), Andy Otten (Oakleigh Chargers)
NAB AFL Pre-Season Draft:
NAB AFL Rookie Draft:
DELETIONS:
Retired: Mark Ricciuto (veteran outside list)
Exchange period traded: Ben Hudson (Western Bulldogs), Martin Mattner (Sydney), John Meesen (Melbourne)
Delisted: Matthew Bode, John Hinge, Ian Perrie, Darren Pfeiffer, Jason Torney, Scott Welsh (second list lodgment), Rhys Archard (rookie), Andrew McIntyre (rookie), James Turner (rookie)
BRISBANE LIONS
1. Adcock, Jed
2. Austin, Matt
3. Black, Simon
4. Bradshaw, Daniel
5. Brennan, Jared
6. Brown, Jonathan
7. Charman, Jamie
8. Clark, Mitchell
9. Collier, Tom
10. Copeland, Robert
11. Corrie, Anthony
12. Dalziell, Bradd
13. Drummond, Josh
14. Harding, Scott
15. Hawksley, James
16. Henderson, Lachlan
17. Hooper, Rhan
18. Johnstone, Travis
19. Lappin, Nigel (veteran outside list)
20. Leuenberger, Matthew
21. Macdonald, Joel
22. McDonald, Beau
23. McGrath, Ashley
24. Merrett, Daniel
25. Mills, Wayde
26. Moody, Matthew
27. Notting, Tim
28. Patfull, Joel
29. Polkinghorne, James
30. Power, Luke
31. Proud, Albert
32. Rischitelli, Michael
33. Roe, Jason
34. Schmidt, Chris
35. Selwood, Troy
36. Sheldon, Sam
37. Sherman, Justin
38. Stiller, Cheynee
39. Tyler, Matt
Rookie List
1. Begley, Colm
2. Clouston, Scott
3. Dzufer, Daniel
4. Hanley, Pearce
5. Kiel, Haydyn
6. Tippett, Joel
7.
8.
ADDITIONS:
Father/son selection:
Exchange period received: Travis Johnstone (Melbourne)
Rookie elevation: Anthony Corrie
Scholarship elevation:
NAB AFL Draft: Matt Austin (North Ballarat Rebels), Tom Collier (Tassie Mariners), Bradd Dalziell (East Fremantle), Lachlan Henderson (Geelong Falcons), James Polkinghorne (Calder Cannons)
Retired: Chris L. Johnson, Chris Scott, Michael Voss (veteran outside list)
Exchange period traded: Richard Hadley (Carlton), Cameron Wood (Collingwood)
Delisted: Marcus Allan, Ben Fixter, Pat Garner, Will Hamill (rookie)
CARLTON
1. Ackland, Cain
2. Anderson, Joe
3. Armfield, Dennis
4. Austin, Mark
5. Bannister, Jordan
6. Benjamin, Clint
7. Bentick, Adam
8. Betts, Eddie
9. Blackwell, Luke
10. Bower, Paul
11. Browne, Steven
12. Carrazzo, Andrew
13. Cloke, Cameron
14. Edwards, Jake
15. Fevola, Brendan
16. Fisher, Brad
17. Gibbs, Bryce
18. Grigg, Shaun
19. Hadley, Richard
20. Hampson, Shaun
21. Hartlett, Adam
22. Houlihan, Ryan
23. Jackson, Ryan
24. Judd, Chris
25. Kreuzer, Matthew
26. Murphy, Marc
27. O'hAilpin, Aisake
28. O'hAilpin, Setanta
29. Russell, Jordan
30. Saddington, Jason
31. Scotland, Heath
32. Simpson, Kade
33. Stevens, Nick
34. Thornton, Bret
35. Waite, Jarrad
36. Walker, Andrew
37. Wiggins, Simon
38.
Rookie List
1. Jacobs, Sam
2. Jamison, Michael
3.
4.
5.
6.
ADDITIONS
Father/son selection:
Exchange period received: Richard Hadley (Brisbane Lions), Chris Judd (West Coast)
Rookie elevation: Ryan Jackson, Aisake O'hAilpin
Scholarship elevation:
NAB AFL Draft: Dennis Armfield (Swan Districts), Steven Browne (West Perth), Matthew Kreuzer (Northern Knights)
NAB AFL Pre-Season Draft:
NAB AFL Rookie Draft:
DELETIONS:
Retired: Anthony Koutoufides (veteran inside), Matthew Lappin
Exchange period traded: Josh J. Kennedy (West Coast)
Delisted: Craig Flint, Dylan McLaren, Anthony Raso, David Teague, Lance Whitnall, Ross Young (rookie)
COLLINGWOOD
1. Anthony, John
2. Barham, Jaxson
3. Brown, Nathan J.
4. Bryan, Chris
5. Burns, Scott (veteran outside list)
6. Clarke, Martin
7. Cloke, Travis
8. Cook, Ryan
9. Cox, Shannon
10. Davis, Leon
11. Dawes, Chris
12. Dick, Brad
13. Didak, Alan
14. Egan, Chris
15. Fraser, Josh
16. Goldsack, Tyson
17. Holland, Brodie
18. Iles, Sam
19. Johnson, Ben
20. Lockyer, Tarkyn
21. Lonie, Ryan
22. Maxwell, Nick
23. McCarthy, John
24. Medhurst, Paul
25. O'Bree, Shane
26. O'Brien, Harry
27. Pendlebury, Scott
28. Prestigiacomo, Simon (veteran inside list)
29. Reid, Ben
30. Rocca, Anthony (veteran outside list)
31. Rusling, Sean
32. Shaw, Heath
33. Shaw, Rhyce
34. Stanley, Danny
35. Swan, Dane
36. Thomas, Dale
37. Thoolan, Toby
38. Toovey, Alan
39. Wakelin, Shane
40. Wood, Cameron
Rookie List
1. Dyas, Kevin
2. Macaffer, Brent
3. Wellingham, Sharrod
4.
ADDITIONS:
Father/son selection: Jaxson Barham (Geelong Falcons)
Exchange period received: Cameron Wood (Brisbane Lions)
NAB AFL Draft: Cale Hooker (East Fremantle), David Myers (Perth), Tayte Pears (East Perth)
NAB AFL Pre-Season Draft:
NAB AFL Rookie Draft:
DELETIONS:
Retired: Mark Bolton, Scott Camporeale, Chris Heffernan, James Hird (veteran inside list)
Exchange period traded:
Delisted: Kepler Bradley, Richard Cole, Mark Johnson, Lachlan McKinnon (rookie)
FREMANTLE
1. Bell, Peter
2. Black, Heath
3. Bradley, Kepler
4. Browne, Andrew
5. Campbell, Adam
6. Carr, Josh
7. Carr, Matthew
8. Crowley, Ryan
9. Dodd, Steven
10. Drum, Marcus
11. Duffield, Paul
12. Farmer, Jeff
13. Foster, Andrew
14. Gilmore, Daniel
15. Grover, Antoni
16. Hasleby, Paul
17. Hayden, Roger
18. Headland, Des
19. Hinkley, Clayton
20. Ibbotson, Garrick
21. Johnson, Mark
22. Johnson, Michael
23. Mayne, Chris
24. McManus, Shaun (veteran outside list)
25. McPharlin, Luke
26. Mundy, David
27. Murphy, Ryan
28. O'Brien, Brock
29. Palmer, Rhys
30. Pavlich, Matthew
31. Peake, Brett
32. Sandilands, Aaron
33. Schammer, Byron
34. Solomon, Dean
35. Tarrant, Chris
36. Thornton, Scott
37. Warnock, Robert
38. Webster, Luke
39.
Rookie List
1. Smith, Chris
2.
3.
4.
5.
ADDITIONS:
Father/son selection:
Exchange period received:
Rookie elevation: Andrew Foster
Scholarship elevation:
NAB AFL Draft: Kepler Bradley (Essendon), Clayton Hinkley (North Ballarat Rebels), Mark Johnson (Essendon), Chris Mayne (Perth), Rhys Palmer (East Fremantle)
Delisted: Clayton Collard, Ryley Dunn, Robert Haddrill, Calib Mourish, James Walker, Benet Copping (rookie), Darren Rumble (rookie)
GEELONG
1. Ablett, Gary
2. Ablett, Nathan
3. Bartel, Jimmy
4. Blake, Mark
5. Byrnes, Shannon
6. Chapman, Paul
7. Corey, Joel
8. Davenport, Jason
9. Djerrkura, Nathan
10. Donohue, Adam
11. Egan, Matthew
12. Enright, Corey
13. Gamble, Ryan
14. Harley, Tom
15. Hawkins, Tom
16. Hogan, Simon
17. Hunt, Josh
18. Johnson, David
19. Johnson, Steve
20. Kelly, James
21. Ling, Cameron
22. Lonergan, Tom
23. Mackie, Andrew
24. McKenna, Dan
25. Milburn, Darren (veteran outside list)
26. Mooney, Cameron
27. Ottens, Brad
28. Prismall, Brent
29. Rooke, Max
30. Scarlett, Matthew
31. Selwood, Joel
32. Simpson, Dawson
33. Simpson, Scott
34. Stokes, Mathew
35. Taylor, Harry
36. Tenace, Kane
37. Varcoe, Travis
38. West, Trent
39. Wojcinski, David
Rookie List
1. Bedford, Liam
2.
3.
4.
5.
ADDITIONS:
Father/son selection: Adam Donohue (Geelong Falcons)
Exchange period received:
Rookie elevation: Jason Davenport, Tom Lonergan
Scholarship elevation:
NAB AFL Draft: Dan McKenna (Gippsland Power), Dawson Simpson (Murray Bushrangers), Scott Simpson (Dandenong Stingrays), Harry Taylor (East Fremantle)
NAB AFL Pre-Season Draft:
NAB AFL Rookie Draft:
DELETIONS:
Retired:
Exchange period traded: Tim Callan (Western Bulldogs), Charlie Gardiner (St Kilda), Steven King (St Kilda), Henry Playfair (Sydney)
Delisted: Sam Hunt, Stephen Owen, Matthew Spencer, Todd Grima (rookie), Joel Reynolds (rookie)
HAWTHORN
1. Bailey, Max
2. Bateman, Chance
3. Birchall, Grant
4. Boyle, Tim
5. Brown, Campbell
6. Campbell, Robert
7. Clarke, Tim
8. Crawford, Shane (veteran outside list)
9. Croad, Trent
10. Dawson, Zac
11. Dew, Stuart
12. Dowler, Beau
13. Ellis, Xavier
14. Franklin, Lance
15. Gilham, Stephen
16. Guerra, Brent
17. Hodge, Luke
18. Jacobs, Danny
19. Kennedy, Josh P.
20. Ladson, Rick
21. Lewis, Jordan
22. McEntee, Luke
23. McGlynn, Ben
24. Mitchell, Sam
25. Morton, Jarryd
26. Moss, Garry
27. Murphy, Tom
28. Muston, Beau
29. Osborne, Michael
30. Renouf, Brent
31. Rioli, Cyril
32. Roughead, Jarryd
33. Sewell, Brad
34. Taylor, Simon
35. Thorp, Mitchell
36. Tuck, Travis
37. Whitecross, Brendan
38. Williams, Mark
39. Young, Clinton
Rookie List
1. Suckling, Matt
2.
3.
4.
5.
Retired: Ben Dixon (veteran outside list), Joel Smith, Richie Vandenberg
Exchange period traded:
Delisted: Matt Little, Josh Thurgood, Brett Collins (rookie), Sam Gibson (rookie)
KANGAROOS
1. Adams, Leigh
2. Brown, Leigh
3. Campbell, Matt
4. Davies, Ben
5. Edwards, Aaron
6. Firrito, Michael
7. Gibson, Josh
8. Goldstein, Todd
9. Grant, Shannon
10. Greenwood, Levi
11. Grima, Blake
12. Hale, David
13. Hansen, Lachlan
14. Harding, Leigh
15. Harris, Daniel
16. Harvey, Brent (veteran outside list)
17. Jones, Corey
18. Lower, Ed
19. McIntosh, Hamish
20. McMahon, Scott
21. Petrie, Drew
22. Power, Sam
23. Pratt, Daniel
24. Rawlings, Brady
25. Riggio, Matt
26. Ross, Ben
27. Sansbury, Eddie
28. Simpson, Adam (veteran outside list)
29. Sinclair, Jess
30. Smith, Jesse W.
31. Smith, Josh
32. Swallow, Andrew
33. Tarrant, Robbie
34. Thomas, Lindsay
35. Thompson, Nathan
36. Thompson, Scott
37. Urquhart, Gavin
38. Warren, Ben
39. Watt, Shannon
40. Wells, Daniel
Rookie List
1.
2.
3.
4.
ADDITIONS:
Father/son selection:
Exchange period received: Ben Davies (Collingwood), Sam Power (Western Bulldogs)
Rookie elevation: Leigh Adams, Matt Campbell
Scholarship elevation:
NAB AFL Draft: Levi Greenwood (Port Adelaide Magpies), Blake Grima (Kangaroos), Josh Smith (West Perth), Robbie Tarrant (Bendigo Pioneers), Scott Thompson (Geelong VFL)
NAB AFL Pre-Season Draft:
NAB AFL Rookie Draft:
DELETIONS:
Retired: Glenn Archer (veteran outside list), Kasey Green, Jonathan Hay
Exchange period traded: Brad Moran (Adelaide)
Delisted: Blake Grima (second list lodgment), Daniel McConnell, David Trotter, Callum Urch, Djaran Whyman, Ben Hughes (rookie), Tim Hutchison (rookie)
MELBOURNE
1. Bartram, Clint
2. Bate, Matthew
3. Bell, Daniel
4. Bode, Jace
5. Bruce, Cameron
6. Buckley, Simon
7. Carroll, Nathan
8. Cheney, Kyle
9. Davey, Aaron
10. Dunn, Lynden
11. Frawley, James
12. Garland, Colin
13. Green, Brad
14. Grimes, Jack
15. Holland, Ben
16. Jamar, Mark
17. Johnson, Chris A.
18. Johnson, Paul
19. Jones, Nathan
20. Maric, Addam
21. McDonald, James
22. McLean, Brock
23. McNamara, Tom
24. Meesen, John
25. Miller, Brad
26. Moloney, Brent
27. Morton, Cale
28. Neitz, David (veteran outside list)
29. Newton, Michael
30. Petterd, Ricky
31. Rivers, Jared
32. Robertson, Russell
33. Sylvia, Colin
34. Warnock, Matthew
35. Weetra, Isaac
36. Wheatley, Paul
37. Whelan, Matthew
38. White, Jeff (veteran inside list)
39. Yze, Adem (veteran outside list)
40.
Rookie List
1.
2.
3.
4.
ADDITIONS:
Father/son selection:
Exchange period received: John Meesen (Adelaide)
Rookie elevation: Jace Bode
Scholarship elevation:
NAB AFL Draft: Kyle Cheney (North Ballarat Rebels), Jack Grimes (Northern Knights), Addam Maric (Calder Cannons), Tom McNamara (South Adelaide), Cale Morton (Claremont)
NAB AFL Pre-Season Draft:
NAB AFL Rookie Draft:
DELETIONS:
Retired: Clint Bizzell, Nathan D. Brown, Byron Pickett
Exchange period traded: Travis Johnstone (Brisbane Lions)
Delisted: Ryan Ferguson, Simon Godfrey, Heath Neville, Daniel Ward, Daniel Hayes (rookie), Daniel Hughes (rookie), Shane Neaves (rookie)
PORT ADELAIDE
1. Bentley, Greg
2. Boak, Travis
3. Brogan, Dean
4. Burgoyne, Peter
5. Burgoyne, Shaun
6. Carlile, Alipate
7. Cassisi, Domenic
8. Chaplin, Troy
9. Cockshell, Adam
10. Cornes, Chad
11. Cornes, Kane
12. Deluca, Fabian
13. Ebert, Brett
14. Farmer, Mitchell
15. Giles, Jonathan
16. Gray, Robert
17. Krakouer, Nathan
18. Lade, Brendon (veteran outside list)
19. Lobbe, Matthew
20. Logan, Tom
21. Lonie, Nathan
22. Lower, Nick
23. Minson, Hugh
24. Motlop, Daniel
25. Motlop, Marlon
26. Pearce, Danyle
27. Pettigrew, Michael
28. Rodan, David
29. Salopek, Steven
30. Stewart, Paul
31. Surjan, Jacob
32. Thomas, Matt
33. Thomson, Adam
34. Thurstans, Toby
35. Tredrea, Warren
36. Westhoff, Justin
37. Westhoff, Matthew
38. White, Damon
39. Williams, Ryan
40. Wilson, Michael (veteran outside list)
Rookie List
1. Grose, Gavin
2.
3.
4.
ADDITIONS:
Father/son selection:
Exchange period received:
Rookie elevation:
Scholarship elevation:
NAB AFL Draft: Mitchell Farmer (Calder Cannons), Matthew Lobbe (Eastern Ranges), Marlon Motlop (Wanderers), Matthew Westhoff (Central District)
NAB AFL Pre-Season Draft:
NAB AFL Rookie Draft:
DELETIONS:
Retired: Josh Mahoney, Darryl Wakelin
Exchange period traded: Brad Symes (Adelaide)
Delisted: Ryan Willits (second list lodgment), Nathan Batsanis (rookie), Peter Hardy (rookie), Alex Lee (rookie)
RICHMOND
1. Bowden, Joel (veteran outside list)
2. Brown, Nathan G.
3. Casserly, Travis
4. Collins, Andrew
5. Connors, Daniel
6. Cotchin, Trent
7. Coughlan, Mark
8. Deledio, Brett
9. Edwards, Shane
10. Foley, Nathan
11. Graham, Angus
12. Hughes, Cleve
13. Hyde, Chris
14. Jackson, Daniel
15. Johnson, Kane
16. King, Jake
17. McGuane, Luke
18. McMahon, Jordan
19. Meyer, Danny
20. Moore, Kelvin
21. Morton, Mitch
22. Newman, Chris
23. Oakley-Nicholls, Jarrad
24. Pattison, Adam
25. Pettifer, Kayne
26. Polak, Graham
27. Polo, Dean
28. Putt, Dean
29. Raines, Andrew
30. Rance, Alex
31. Richardson, Matthew (veteran outside list)
32. Riewoldt, Jack
33. Schulz, Jay
34. Simmonds, Troy
35. Tambling, Richard
36. Thursfield, Will
37. Tivendale, Greg
38. Tuck, Shane
39. White, Matthew
40.
Rookie List
1.
2.
3.
4.
ADDITIONS:
Father/son selection:
Exchange period received: Jordan McMahon (Western Bulldogs), Mitch Morton (West Coast)
Rookie elevation: Angus Graham, Jake King
Scholarship elevation:
NAB AFL Draft: Trent Cotchin (Northern Knights), Dean Putt (Calder Cannons), Alex Rance (Swan Districts)
NAB AFL Pre-Season Draft:
NAB AFL Rookie Draft:
DELETIONS:
Retired: Darren Gaspar (veteran outside list), Ray Hall, Kent Kingsley, Trent Knobel
Exchange period traded:
Delisted: Patrick Bowden, Brent Hartigan, Andrew Krakouer, Carl Peterson, Tas Clingan (rookie), Cam Howat (rookie)
ST KILDA
1. Allen, Jarryd
2. Armitage, David
3. Baker, Steven
4. Ball, Luke
5. Birss, Shane
6. Blake, Jason
7. Clarke, Raphael
8. Clarke, Xavier
9. Connors, Eljay
10. Dal Santo, Nick
11. Dempster, Sean
12. Ferguson, Matthew
13. Fiora, Aaron
14. Fisher, Leigh
15. Fisher, Sam
16. Gardiner, Charlie
17. Gardiner, Michael
18. Geary, Jarryn
19. Gehrig, Fraser
20. Gilbert, Sam
21. Goddard, Brendon
22. Gram, Jason
23. Gwilt, James
24. Harvey, Robert (veteran inside list)
25. Hayes, Lenny
26. Howard, Brad
27. Hudghton, Max (veteran inside list)
28. Jones, Clinton
29. King, Steven
30. Koschitzke, Justin
31. Maguire, Matt
32. McEvoy, Ben
33. Milne, Stephen
34. Montagna, Leigh
35. Riewoldt, Nick
36. Rix, Michael
37. Schneider, Adam
38. Steven, Jack
Rookie List
1. Attard, Jayden
2. Eddy, Robert
3. Haretuku, Khan
4. van Rheenen, Luke
5.
6.
ADDITIONS:
Father/son selection:
Exchange period received: Sean Dempster (Sydney), Charlie Gardiner (Geelong), Steven King (Geelong), Adam Schneider (Sydney)
Rookie elevation: Jarryn Geary, Clinton Jones
Scholarship elevation: Khan Haretuku (rookie)
NAB AFL Draft: Eljay Connors (Bendigo Pioneers), Fraser Gehrig (St Kilda), Ben McEvoy (Murray Bushrangers), Jack Steven (Geelong Falcons)
NAB AFL Pre-Season Draft:
NAB AFL Rookie Draft:
DELETIONS:
Retired: Matthew Clarke, Fraser Gehrig, Aaron Hamill, Andrew Thompson, Brett Voss
Exchange period traded:
Delisted: Barry Brooks, Andrew McQualter, Phil Raymond, Justin Sweeney, Fergus Watts, James Wall (rookie)
SYDNEY
1. Ablett, Luke
2. Barlow, Ed
3. Barry, Leo (veteran outside list)
4. Bevan, Paul
5. Bird, Craig
6. Bolton, Craig
7. Bolton, Jude
8. Brabazon, Ryan
9. Brennan, Luke
10. Buchanan, Amon
11. Crouch, Jared
12. Currie, Daniel
13. Davis, Nick
14. Everitt, Peter
15. Faulks, Peter
16. Fosdike, Nic
17. Goodes, Adam
18. Grundy, Heath
19. Hall, Barry
20. Jack, Kieren
21. Jolly, Darren
22. Kennelly, Tadhg
23. Kirk, Brett
24. Laidlaw, Matthew
25. Malceski, Nick
26. Mathews, Ben
27. Mattner, Martin
28. McVeigh, Jarrad
29. Meredith, Brett
30. Moore, Jarred
31. O'Keefe, Daniel
32. O'Keefe, Ryan
33. O'Loughlin, Michael (veteran outside list)
34. Playfair, Henry
35. Richards, Ted
36. Roberts-Thomson, Lewis
37. Schmidt, Tim
38. Thornton, Kristin
39. Veszpremi, Patrick
40. White, Jesse
Rookie List
1. Murphy, Brendan
2. Orreal, Jake
3. Smith, Nick
4.
5.
6.
7.
ADDITIONS:
Father/son selection:
Exchange period received: Martin Mattner (Adelaide), Henry Playfair (Geelong)
Rookie elevation: Ed Barlow, Luke Brennan, Kieren Jack
Exchange period traded: Sean Dempster (St Kilda), Adam Schneider (St Kilda)
Delisted: Jonathan Simpkin, Simon Phillips, Luke Vogels, Matthew Davis (rookie), Matthew O'Dwyer (rookie), Sam Rowe (rookie), Earl Shaw (rookie)
WEST COAST
1. Armstrong, Steven
2. Braun, Michael (veteran outside list)
3. Brown, Mitchell
4. Butler, Sam
5. Cousins, Ben
6. Cox, Dean
7. Ebert, Brad
8. Embley, Andrew
9. Fletcher, Chad
10. Glass, Darren
11. Graham, Jaymie
12. Hansen, Ashley
13. Houlihan, Tim
14. Hunter, Adam
15. Hurn, Shannon
16. Jones, Brett
17. Jones, Chad
18. Kennedy, Josh J.
19. Kerr, Daniel
20. LeCras, Mark
21. Lynch, Quinten
22. Mackenzie, Eric
23. Masten, Chris
24. McKinley, Ben
25. McNamara, Jamie
26. Nicoski, Mark
27. Notte, Tony
28. Priddis, Matt
29. Rosa, Matt
30. Schofield, Will
31. Seaby, Mark
32. Selwood, Adam
33. Selwood, Scott
34. Spangher, Matthew
35. Staker, Brent
36. Stenglein, Tyson
37. Thomson, James
38. Waters, Beau
39. Wirrpunda, David
Rookie List
1. Davis, Ryan
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
ADDITIONS:
Father/son selection:
Exchange period received: Josh J. Kennedy (Carlton)
Rookie elevation: Chad Jones, Jamie McNamara
Scholarship elevation: Ryan Davis (rookie)
NAB AFL Draft: Brad Ebert (Port Adelaide Magpies), Chris Masten (East Fremantle), Tony Notte (Swan Districts), Scott Selwood (Bendigo Pioneers)
NAB AFL Pre-Season Draft:
NAB AFL Rookie Draft:
DELETIONS:
Retired: Rowan Jones, Josh Wooden
Exchange period traded: Chris Judd (Carlton), Mitch Morton (Richmond)
Delisted: Daniel Chick, Ashley Sampi, Ben Sharp (rookie), Llane Spaanderman (rookie), Ashley Thornton (rookie), Beau Wilkes (rookie)
WESTERN BULLDOGS
1. Addison, Dylan
2. Akermanis, Jason
3. Boumann, Jarrad
4. Boyd, Matthew
5. Callan, Tim
6. Cooney, Adam
7. Cross, Daniel
8. Eagleton, Nathan
9. Everitt, Andrejs
10. Giansiracusa, Daniel
11. Gilbee, Lindsay
12. Grant, Jarrad
13. Griffen, Ryan
14. Hahn, Mitchell
15. Harbrow, Jarrod
16. Hargrave, Ryan
17. Harris, Brian
18. Higgins, Shaun
19. Hill, Josh
20. Hudson, Ben
21. Johnson, Brad (veteran outside list)
22. Lynch, Malcolm
23. McDougall, Andrew
24. Minson, Will
25. Morris, Dale
26. Murphy, Robert
27. O'Keefe, Guy
28. O'Shea, Paul
29. Ray, Farren
30. Reid, Sam
31. Skipper, Wayde
32. Stack, Brennan
33. Street, Peter
34. Tiller, Stephen
35. Ward, Callan
36. West, Scott (veteran outside list)
37. Wight, Cameron
38. Williams, Tom
39. Wood, Easton
40.
Rookie List
1. Hughes, Gavin
2.
3.
4.
ADDITIONS:
Father/son selection:
Exchange period received: Tim Callan (Geelong), Ben Hudson (Adelaide)
Rookie elevation: Jarrod Harbrow
Scholarship elevation:
NAB AFL Draft: Jarrad Boumann (Dandenong Stingrays), Jarrad Grant (Dandenong Stingrays), Guy O'Keefe (Geelong Falcons), Sam Reid (Zillmere), Callan Ward (Western Jets), Easton Wood (Camperdown)
NAB AFL Pre-Season Draft:
NAB AFL Rookie Draft:
DELETIONS:
Retired: Luke Darcy, Chris Grant (veteran outside list), Brett Montgomery, Matthew Robbins
Exchange period traded: Jordan McMahon (Richmond), Sam Power (Kangaroos)
Delisted: Travis Baird, Cameron Faulkner, Damian McCormack, Tim Walsh, Marty Pask (rookie), Michael West (rookie)
Probably not the ideal welcome from a club to their top overall pick, Carlton have said that if Nicholas Naitanui was available they would have taken him instead of Kreuzer.
Blues recruiting manager Wayne Hughes did not hesitate when asked whom he would have taken as the first pick in the national draft if the ruckman of Fijian descent had been available.
"Naitanui," he said yesterday.
Naitanui, along with Daniel Rich from Western Australia, will be one of the contenders to be the first pick in the 2008 AFL draft.
It all seemed to be falling into place perfectly for the Crows as the top 10 of the draft was being selected. Brisbane went key position instead of the big midfielder they talked about, and after the Saints took big McEvoy it meant that the AFL clubs had gifted Brad Ebert to the Crows. They were going to get the best player from their state, someone with the skill and build to replace Ricciuto in the middle and up forward, the Crows were also going to get revenge on Port Adelaide for drafting not one but two Cornes. Then the Crows shocked their fans by taking Rodney.
Patrick Dangerfield may become a star for the Crows, but no matter how they explain it there is just no excuse for not taking Ebert.
The management, including their coach who is on very thin ice, will have to weather a storm for at least a year as Dangerfield won't be playing. It is very likely that Coach Craig will never even coach Dangerfield in a game for the Crows. With every game that Ebert plays for the Eagles, the discontent among those in Adelaide will grow.
When it is all working perfectly there is no better team to watch, but for the Bulldogs and their array of short forwards all the kicks do have to be perfect or it all breaks down. They don't have big forward targets and this is due to the philosophy of their recruiting department and their coaches.
1997
Mark Alvey, they obviously weren't watching out at Waverley when Goodes was dominating for Victoria Country, before being injured. Not that Goodes didn't show what he could do later on when he starred in the TAC Cup Grand Final on the MCG. Other players who were bigger, and better, than Alvey and could have been drafted by the Bulldogs include Dean Solomon, Ian Perrie, Andrew Kellaway and Nathan Thompson. The philosophy, that still exists, about trying to win with small forwards was very evident as they traded picks 15, 31 and 38 for small forwards Matthew Robbins and Simon Garlick. Picks 15 and 31 would become premiership players too.
1998
Luke Penny, they actually tried to find some height but it fell apart for Penny and the Bulldogs, and then his knee fell apart at the Saints. Considering they drafted Nicky Winmar, at pick 30, it shows that attitude problems were not an issue with their recruiting. A couple of players dropped in the 1998 AFL draft due to that concern, Danny Jacobs who marked everything and Brendan Fevola who kicked a lot of goals in the TAC Cup. Ken McGregor went very late in that draft too.
1999
They may have made several successful picks, but they were only for the small players. They went big with a couple of Patricks, Wiggins and Bowden, but that didn't work. They could have had Hille or Biglands. The Bulldogs were still trading away picks and players to acquire small forwards, at this time they traded for Eagleton, which helped the Power assemble a bit of their future premiership side. The Bulldogs did try to bring in some bulk, they acquired Trent Bartlett and sent out another draft mistake, Michael Martin who was pick 14 in 1994.
2000
While Carlton really went bad in this draft, with Livingston, Sporn and S Wiggins in the early picks, the Bulldogs also wasted a couple of high picks on McMahon and Birss. Bulldogs fans don't need to be reminded about how great Drew Petrie can be, and he could have been theirs. The Bulldogs did find someone tall who is actually still on their list, Skipper went at pick 70.
2001
What were they doing taking Sam Power at pick 10, Ashley Hansen would have been a much better choice. Matt Maguire, Mark Seaby, even LRT would have been A-OK. Brad Miller and Damon White went late in the draft, and that is also where the Bulldogs found their current full back, when they drafted Harris at 71.
2002
At least they tried to go a bit big in this draft, but without a lot to show for it yet. Minson at pick 20 is something they did well, but they don't play him enough, that is something that needs to change and he should be playing every game in 2008. A few picks earlier they went for their usual running player, this time it was Faulkner. Jared Rivers, Paul Johnson or even Daniel Merrett would have given the Bulldogs more height, Merrett would have also helped in the strength department that the Bulldogs are lacking in. But the Bulldogs struggle to identify the best of the tallest, Walsh at pick 4, ahead of Hamish McIntosh, is not looking good. They did draft Cameron Wight at this time, and while he does measure well when it comes to height he does have a problem with bulk and strength.
2003
They had two picks in the top 4 and added some more midfielders, nothing wrong with taking Cooney but Ray is a disappointment. While there wasn't a great amount of height available in this draft, Ryan Murphy would have been someone who could take marks and kick a lot of goals. They also could have had Hudson a lot sooner, they wasted pick 50 and Hudson went shortly after that to the Crows.
2004
Another bad year brought about more picks in the top 10. Hawthorn had the right idea, loading up on key position players, although it would have been better to pick Franklin and then Roughead. The Bulldogs missed on Franklin. They did take Tom Williams, another phenomenal athlete, and he might become an important tall defender but he may never be strong enough to battle the best forwards of the AFL. Later in the draft they missed out on forwards like Rusling and Newton, and while they did take Tiller he is another player who isn't a real key position player.
2005
Higgins and Addison may have skills, a lot of them when it comes to running and kicking an exciting goal or two, but they are not the types of player that the Bulldogs need. The Bulldogs are way over their quota for midfielder/small forwards. Max Bailey, Robert Warnock and Trent West would have brought them size, even very late in the draft Joel Patfull was still available.
2006
They went for athletes again, and they didn't need players like Stack, Hill and Lynch. They may all be able to play at AFL level but the Bulldogs needed size. In the first round, taking A Everitt was not a bad move but he is not the marking key position player they need. Mitchell Brown or Jack Riewoldt up forward would have given the Bulldogs someone to kick to. There was also size in the back half available with Mackenzie and Renouf.
2007
Coach Eade said he got the best available talent, that doesn't make sense when the team needed players with bulk and height.
Jarrad Grant is not someone that a forward line can be built around, he is more of a complimentary piece. McEvoy would have been a huge body to place at centre half forward and then to add parts around him. The Saints did well, as did the Lions who took big Henderson. If Jarrad Grant was drafted by the Lions, and teamed with Jonathan Brown, he would be a lot more effective than being the number one forward option that some at the Bulldogs think he could be.
The Bulldogs went for another midfielder, but a strong and smart tall defender was available. Adding Pears to the back line would have improved the Bulldogs a lot. Collier and Otten were also there to pick. The biggest of all, Dawson Simpson, was there too. In some of the post-draft reporting, there have been suggestions that the Bulldogs were hoping for Tarrant at pick 19, if this is correct then that means that some at the Bulldogs realized they needed to stock up on key position players.
The Bulldogs could have also added Thompson from Geelong's VFL side with their next pick, instead of yet another midfielder. They just traded away Jordan McMahon, but then drafted someone who plays just like him.
The Bulldogs must have spent plenty of time looking at Dandenong's TAC Cup players, but they didn't identify the one who plays like a real key forward, Scott Simpson. If there was one player in this draft that had more than a few similarities with Chris Grant it was probably Scott Simpson.
While they did take height late, there were other players available who might have been better than Boumann.
Another midfielder/forward went with their next choice, Melbourne were one of the teams who won the draft and after the Bulldogs took G O'Keefe they found a tall defender in McNamara.
Ben McEvoy - Jarrad Grant
Tayte Pears - Callan Ward
Scott Thompson - Sam Reid
Scott Simpson - Easton Wood
Dean Putt - Jarrad Boumann
Tom McNamara - Guy O'Keefe
They do have a preseason pick, which they are expected to use on Scott Welsh, as well as some rookie selections but it will be another season at the Bulldogs when they go into battle undersized, and it looks like it will take someone new at the Bulldogs to change how they recruit and play. The Bulldogs have not made it to a Grand Final during the era of AFL drafts, so that points out how ineffective they have been when selecting players.
Carlton - Matthew Kreuzer
Will be on a lot of fantasy teams, and Carlton have to play him every game.
Richmond - Trent Cotchin
Sign him up, he could be as good as any Richmond player for fantasy stats, except for J Bowden.
West Coast - Chris Masten
"The Masterpiece" Chris Masten might have gone to the team he wanted to be on, but for fantasy points opportunities he would have been in a better spot elsewhere. Priddis, Kerr, Braun, Rosa and Stenglein probably get most of the midfield minutes, but Masten should play plenty of games, it just depends on how much time he stays on the bench.
Melbourne - Cale Morton
A total package of skills, so he has to be good for fantasy teams. Melbourne need help everywhere, Morton can play everywhere, he could have an instant impact in AFL fantasy games. Morton should be very popular with fantasy coaches.
Western Bulldogs - Jarrad Grant
Several years away.
Essendon - David Myers
A great signing for fantasy teams, especially if he is eligible as a defender. He could be the best first-year player for fantasy numbers. Essendon dont really have someone like him and he could quickly become an integral part of their lineup.
Fremantle - Rhys Palmer
He should play a lot of games and will help fantasy teams.
Brisbane Lions - Lachlan Henderson
Maybe a few years away for fantasy teams.
St Kilda - Ben McEvoy
Might have been different if Gehrig didn't return and they had not traded for King, but an injury there could open up playing time.
Adelaide - Patrick Dangerfield
Maybe in 2009.
Sydney - Patrick Veszpremi
Worth considering, he might be eligible at a couple of positions in fantasy.
Hawthorn - Cyril Rioli
A fantasy forward, who can get stats like a midfielder, and will have a cheap price. He is more than ready for AFL but Hawthorn is a tough team to win a spot in.
West Coast - Bradley Ebert
A great prospect but he does join a team with plenty of established players, Ebert should be able to win a spot around half forward, so he could get fantasy points via possessions, along with some marks and goals.
Melbourne - Jack Grimes
No reason to think he won't play the majority of games in 2008.
Kangaroos - Robert Tarrant
Would be behind Petrie, Hale and maybe Hansen.
Port Adelaide - Matthew Lobbe
A long way from helping fantasy teams, probably, unless he replicates J Westhoff's 2007 season.
Geelong - Harry Taylor
Picked for the future, so unless injuries hit he won't play a lot.
Richmond - Alex Rance
He is probably their best tall defender, so there is no reason why he shouldn't play a lot. He is solid in the air, can cover plenty of ground around half back, Rance should be good for fantasy points, especially if he is combining with Bowden.
Western Bulldogs - Callan Ward
They already have a lot of midfielders playing ahead of him.
West Coast - Tony Notte
Pick for the future, so sign in 2010.
Melbourne - Addam Maric
If he maintains his kicking accuracy, he will be a star in fantasy games. Could be one of the best options for a cheap fantasy forward on the bench.
West Coast - Scott Selwood
Behind a lot of players there, including a brother, so may not have a lot of opportunities next season.
Essendon - Tayte Pears
They have a few problems in the back half, but it might need an injury to Michael or Fletcher before he gets a lot of minutes.
Fremantle - Clayton Hinkley
They took him a lot higher than expected, so maybe they do have a spot for him, although there are many better fantasy options.
Brisbane - Tom Collier
He is ready to play, so could be someone to put on fantasy benches. Is probably designated as a defender in fantasy games, but he can play in the middle for Brisbane if injuries hit.
Sydney - Brett Meredith
The Swans are loaded with smaller players so he won't play in 2008.
Adelaide - Andy Otten
He could surprise, so watch to see if they play him during the preseason.
Port Adelaide - Marlon Motlop
Someone to watch, he has the skills but joins a team with a lot of similar players ahead of him on the depth chart.
Hawthorn - Brendan Whitecross
The Hawks are loaded with young talent so it may be a while before he plays.
Adelaide - Jarrhan Jacky
A different type of player that they needed, with some speed, so maybe he does play a bit next year.
Collingwood - John McCarthy
He could surprise, but right now there doesn't appear to be a spot for him on Collingwood's AFL team.
Kangaroos - Levi Greenwood
Cheap in fantasy, strong of body, always in the action, could be a steal in fantasy games.
Port Adelaide - Matthew Westhoff
His brother was one of the surprise fantasy stars of the 2007 season, but that doesn't mean M Westhoff will have a chance to do it next season.
Geelong - Dawson Simpson
Probably a safe thing to say, he will not help fantasy teams next year.
Western Bulldogs - Sam Reid
Unlikely to help next year.
Carlton - Steven Browne
There are not any spots available for him in the lineup at the moment.
Kangaroos - Scott Thompson
He is older than most of the players picked, so is a chance to play next season.
Adelaide - Myke Cook
Probably doesn't play next season.
Essendon - Darcy Daniher
There isn't a spot for him unless injuries hit several players.
Fremantle - Christopher Mayne
They couldn't find regular games for Murphy and Campbell so hard to see how Mayne plays a lot.
Brisbane - James Polkinghorne
They traded for Johnstone so the midfield will have a lot of veterans in it, and unless injuries hit there won't be a spot for Polkinghorne.
St Kilda - Jack Steven
They are still waiting for Armitage to get a spot in the middle, and also traded for a couple of solid Swans, so Steven won't play in 2008.
Western Bulldogs - Easton Wood
Won't help fantasy teams.
Geelong - Scott Simpson
Joins the premiership team so there won't be many chances for him to play.
Hawthorn - Stuart Dew
His fantasy price will be what determines if he is worth signing, if Dew is added at the lowest price he would be someone to sign.
Carlton - Dennis Armfield
If ten midfielders are out then he might get a game.
Collingwood - Tobias Thoolen
A player of the future.
Western Bulldogs - Jarrad Boumann
Unlikely to play soon.
Port Adelaide - Mitchell Farmer
If Wilson can't come back from his injury it could give Farmer a chance to play.
Geelong - Dan McKenna
If there was a VFL fantasy competition then he might be someone to sign, as he joins a club in the AFL that does not need their youngsters to play in 2008.
Richmond - Dean Putt
Might kick some goals in a few years.
Brisbane - Bradd Dalziell
Don't expect to see him playing.
Melbourne - Kyle Cheney
Melbourne are rebuilding, so he could get a chance.
Essendon - Cale Hooker
Essendon didn't really need him, so fantasy teams won't.
Fremantle - Mark Johnson
Wasn't really producing enough for fantasy teams while he was with Essendon, and a change of clubs won't change that.
Brisbane - Matt Austin
Unlikely to play.
St Kilda - Fraser Gehrig
He will still be a feast or famine fantasy full forward, he can have 10 goals and 12 marks in one game and the next week the ball doesn't get near him.
Adelaide - Tony Armstrong
Unlikely to help fantasy teams.
Sydney - Craig Bird
He should play some games but his fantasy stardom might be after players like Kirk retire.
Geelong - Adam Donohue
Not going to be close to selection for their AFL team.
Collingwood - Jaxson Barham
Looking at the games they gave many of their youngsters in 2007, Barham may also play some games next season.
Kangaroos - Josh Smith
Probably plays all the time in the VFL.
Western Bulldogs - Guy O'Keefe
They are loaded with similar players so it is unlikely that he plays AFL next year.
Melbourne - Tom McNamara
If they lose a lot of defenders to injury again then he might see some action, but that is unlikely to occur.
Fremantle - Kepler Bradley
If they are playing him on the wing at Subiaco it could mean a lot of meaningless possessions out in space during games, and that would equal plenty of fantasy points.
St Kilda - Eljay Connors
Sign the one at Richmond.
Adelaide - Aaron Kite
Won't do anything in 2008.
Kangaroos - Blake Grima
He didn't do anything last year, so don't expect anything this time.
Adelaide - Taylor Walker
If the Crows start the season poorly, and it could happen, then a youth movement might be instigated and Walker could be their full forward.
With their second pick, and 34th overall, Geelong chose the 206cm and 105kg Dawson Simpson from the Murray Bushrangers. The 18-year-old represented Vic Country at this year's AFL under 18 national championships and, while a developing big-bodied player, is a fierce competitor and is good overhead.
Football manager Graeme Allan said the 91kg former Geelong Falcons player and the other four picks could all potentially play senior football next year.
Henderson's selection has given the Lions insurance at both ends of the field because while he prefers to play across centre half-forward, the Lions are in urgent need of a tall key defender and the 196cm teen could also fill this void.
Coach Alastair Clarkson, with the youngest list in the game and high expectations to control, wanted to buy experience with the pick. Stuart Dew, the 28-year-old former Port Adelaide premiership flanker blessed with a left-foot kick as long and straight as an outback highway, was his choice.
From The West Australian: WA dominates as Freo makes shock draft pick
WA's two AFL clubs have picked up the bulk of the sandgropers in today's national draft, with both West Coast and Fremantle jagging some of the most talked-about up-and-comers in the game.
Port picked Marlon Motlop, cousin of Daniel, with pick 25 in yesterday's draft, while it surprised many by taking Matthew Westhoff, brother of 2007 Rising Star nominee Justin at 33. It means there are now three sets of Port brothers, with the Westhoffs joining the Cornes and Burgoyne boys at Alberton.
An amazing draft for the Eagles was assisted by the teams that let Ebert drop. Pick 13 was definitely lucky for the Eagles. Ebert should play a lot of games for West Coast next year, and will be the reason why they win some of them too.
18 Richmond - Alex Rance
The Tigers made up their mind to take Cotchin, and would have been hoping to get some size with their next pick. They had a number of quality talls to pick from at 18 but Rance was easily the best of the lot. It must have been tough for teams like the Kangaroos, Demons, Hawks and Swans to let Rance slip by, and when they play Richmond you can be sure that they will be reminded that they missed Rance.
23 Essendon - Tayte Pears
There was a chance that when Fletcher and Michael retired it would leave a big hole in their defensive structure. The Bombers don't have to worry as much now with Pears on the list. Essendon had a great draft last year, grabbing a lot of talent from WA, and again they went West to build up their list.
25 Brisbane Lions - Tom Collier
Their draft needs were a big defender and also a midfielder with some size. With one player they answered both needs. Collier can also play around half forward, so Brisbane will get plenty of use out of him. He has also been playing with and against AFL-listed players, and usually playing better than them, so he is ready for an immediate impact at AFL level.
32 Kangaroos - Levi Greenwood
He is a bit of a genetic freak, a ball of muscle with a huge leap. If the Kangaroos can continue their current form into 2008, and make it into the top 4, to improve in the finals they might need a special game from an unlikely player, and Greenwood could be one who could provide it.
34 Geelong - Dawson Simpson
206cm and 104kg, so he wasn't hard for talent scouts to spot. But other teams had different priorities and wanted immediate help so D Simpson was there for Geelong at pick 34. He becomes the 4th ruckman on the Geelong depth chart, so the ruck spot at Geelong is very strong. The Cats have well over 8m of ruckmen with D Simpson joining Ottens, Blake and West.
44 Geelong - Scott Simpson
Fans of the Cats should really start liking that last name. Unlike some of the other tallish forwards taken ahead of him, S Simpson is a genuine centre half forward who knows how to lead and brings a big body to the contest. This could be looked at as the return for the Cats from trading Playfair, and there is every chance that S Simpson will become a much better play than Henry was.
66 Melbourne - Tom McNamara
The back line for Melbourne in 2007 was in disarray, but with this draft and a few players returning from injury it could turn into a strength. McNamara went very late, but he could be playing AFL a lot quicker than some of the high picks.
If they were able to get Ebert at pick 3 it would have been a great draft, they got him at 13 so a very successful day for the Eagles. Masten joins as a midfield general, the new Selwood can play that role in the back line. Notte gives them someone who could star in a few years. With Mr Kennedy, and probably a preseason draft pick too, the Eagles have reloaded.
3 Chris Masten, midfielder
13 Brad Ebert, midfielder/medium forward
20 Tony Notte, tall forward
22 Scott Selwood, small defender/midfielder
Richmond: A plus
If the Tigers had taken Rance at pick 2, people could have accepted that as they need that one more quality tall defender. Rance fell to 18, so Richmond should be very excited. Cotchin plus Deledio should be a great and unstoppable duo in the middle, and hopefully their coaches understand that Deledio needs to play in the middle. Putt can be put in a forward pocket if they need more height, nothing wrong with picking the tallest towards the end of the draft.
2 Trent Cotchin, midfielder
18 Alex Rance, tall defender
51 Dean Putt, ruckman/tall forward
64 PASS
Geelong: A plus
They won't need to pick any talls next year, when they will probably add midfielder Ranga Ediriwickrama, as they loaded up with height in this draft. Taylor has to make the jump from the WAFL, a speculative pick early in the draft but Geelong must really like him and must have thought he would not be there at their next selection. They added two more key position players so the odds are good that they find at least one star, S Simpson should be backup behind Mooney while McKenna has the ability to play at full back and that could be the spot Geelong develop him for. Dawson Simpson is landing in a good spot and he will have a few years to learn, and can get even bigger in that time, and he could replace Ottens in the future.
17 Harry Taylor, tall forward/defender
34 Dawson Simpson, ruckman
44 Scott Simpson, tall forward
50 Dan McKenna, tall defender/forward
60 Adam Donohue, small defender
Essendon: A
Myers gives their midfield some size and dash, and great kicking. Pears could be added to the lineup very soon too. Daniher was a good move with the father/son pick but maybe they could have found some more pace at the end of the draft. They do have a chance in the preseason draft to find another player.
They got a big forward for now, and Gehrig is still a chance to kick 100 goals, and they also added McEvoy who should become a dominant forward in the AFL.
They needed a leader added to the midfield, Grimes is a good fit. Grimes should be seen as a future captain there. Morton should bring skill to the back half and Maric will do the same up forward. Their last two picks also add options in the back line. Nothing wrong with what the Demons did in the draft, except they didn't want to be referred to as Demons.
4 Cale Morton, midfielder/tall defender
14 Jack Grimes, midfielder
21 Addam Maric, small forward
53 Kyle Cheney, small defender
66 Tom McNamara, medium defender
73 PASS
Hawthorn: B plus
They can put three or four tall forwards out there but needed a bit of variety, Rioli can be a leading forward like Mark Williams or a midfielder/forward like McGlynn. Dew can join Franklin in kicking long goals. Whitecross gives them another fast midfielder, an eventual replacement for Crawford. A successful draft, maybe a tall defender would have been another player to target but Renouf should help there and maybe Murphy or Dowler can play there too if needed.
12 Cyril Rioli, small forward/midfielder
29 Brendan Whitecross, midfielder
45 Stuart Dew, medium forward
Port Adelaide: B plus
Lobbe makes J Westhoff look strong. But as that Westhoff showed, sometimes the players don't need to be huge to have a big impact. The other Westhoff continues the tradition the Power have going with brothers. Farmer gives them someone who can play in Wilson's role if he is out, Motlop gets added to the group of Pearce, Gray, Krakouer and their other exciting small forward/midfielders.
16 Matthew Lobbe, tall forward
28 Marlon Motlop, small forward/midfielder
33 Matthew Westhoff, tall forward
49 Mitchell Farmer, small defender/midfielder
Carlton: B
They really just had pick 1, as the other players won't be playing for a while. But all they needed was Kreuzer to greatly improve their team. Adding two midfielders in the draft didn't make a lot of sense, as they already added two more midfielders through trades.
1 Matthew Kreuzer, ruckman/tall forward
36 Steven Browne, midfielder
46 Dennis Armfield, midfielder
65 PASS
Brisbane: B
Henderson might be a good player at centre half back for them, Merrett is in the full back spot and Drummond and Roe can play on smaller players and use their attacking skills and long kicks. Collier could be the very big midfielder they were after. He might be one of the steals of the draft. Coach Matthews would know about the Polkinghornes, and they are adding some football history after taking a Sheldon last year.
8 Lachlan Henderson, tall defender/forward
25 Tom Collier, midfielder/tall defender
41 James Polkinghorne, small defender/midfielder
52 Bradd Dalziell, midfielder
56 Matt Austin, midfielder
Collingwood: B
They have shown with past drafts that they know what they are doing, and they might have McCarthy becoming another big midfielder.
31 John McCarthy, medium forward/midfielder
47 Toby Thoolan, tall forward/defender
61 Jaxson Barham, small defender/midfielder
Sydney: B
They must like Playfair, or expect big things from Barlow or White, as they didn't go tall with any of their picks. What they did leave the draft with was three players who can help them next season, so that is a good idea. They also seem to be players that already play in the Sydney style.
11 Patrick Veszpremi, small defender/midfielder
26 Brett Meredith, midfielder
59 Craig Bird, midfielder
Fremantle: C plus
They drafted Palmer, and that might be all they get out of this draft. It is sort of looking like an Essendon retirement home.
7 Rhys Palmer, midfielder
24 Clayton Hinkley, midfielder
40 Chris Mayne, medium forward
55 Mark Johnson, small defender
69 Kepler Bradley, tall defender/midfielder
74 PASS
Kangaroos: D plus
They have Petrie, Hale, used a very high draft pick on Hansen, and also have Thompson available in 2008, so the role that Tarrant would take is hard to detail. Greenwood should step right into the round 1 team.
In a few years, they might look back and say they just got Walker and Dangerfield out of this draft. The Dangerfield pick doesn't make a lot of sense anyway, as they traded for Symes who is similar. Maybe Otten can give them something, it is unlikely that he plays forward there, probably in the middle of the ground.
10 Patrick Dangerfield, medium defender/midfielder
27 Andy Otten, tall defender/midfielder
30 Jarrhan Jacky, midfielder
38 Myke Cook, midfielder
58 Tony Armstrong, midfielder
71 Aaron Kite, tall forward/defender
75 Taylor Walker, tall forward
Western Bulldogs: F
The Bulldogs don't know where they are, they might be trying to win now and Hudson and Welsh point to that. But the players they took in the national draft won't do anything soon and Johnson, West, Akermanis and others will be long gone before any of these players contribute. There was a time when people said Where's The Beef, and unfortunately for fans of the Bulldogs they will continue to ask. Every single one of their picks is described as an athlete, it would have been a better idea to select some footballers.
Some more scouting reports released by the AFL, and this group consists of a large number of players who will go in the top 10. Go to the AFL site to read the profiles of a future Brownlow winner and some future All-Australians.
Trent Cotchin Northern Knights, VIC, 185.6 cm, 79.5 kg, DOB 7/4/90
Rhys Palmer East Fremantle, WA, 181.4 cm, 79.8 cm, DOB 13/2/89
Brad Ebert Port Adelaide Magpies, SA, 188.2 cm, 85.4 kg, DOB 2/4/90
Chris Masten East Fremantle, WA, 179.6 cm, 77.3 kg, DOB 2/5/89
Cale Morton Claremont, WA, 191.5 cm, 78.7 kg, DOB 18/1/90
Patrick Dangerfield Geelong Falcons, VIC, 186.9 cm, 82.8 kg, DOB 5/4/90
John Williams Morningside, Qld, 188.4 cm, 82.5 kg, DOB 8/10/88
Maybe four of the above players go before him in the draft, but Brad Ebert may become the biggest star of the lot. Not tied to any specific position on the field, he is a footballer who can impose himself on a game, and if Essendon want the closest thing to Hird then they want Ebert. Morton and Cotchin are expected to go in the top 4, while one or both of Palmer and Masten might stay in their home state.
Assuming around 70 picks will actually be used in the draft, here is a guess at how many players will come from each state, and territory.
Victoria 34
Western Australia 15
South Australia 6
Queensland 6
Tasmania 4
Northern Territory 3
New South Wales 2
While WA won't produce the biggest quantity, there is a lot of quality and half the top 20 could be from Western Australia. As usual, mass quantities of draftees will come from Victoria, but there is a possibility that only 2 or 3 go in the top 10. Both South Australia and Queensland could produce a bit of a draft day shock, with getting a lot more players than expected drafted or possibly only having a couple of players chosen.
Some news on the prospects from Queensland, and according to a report from The Courier-Mail it will be Brendan Whitecross who is the first Queenslander taken in the draft and Joseph Daye will follow after that. Four players from Queensland may be a bit low, as there could be six or seven.
Queensland is not expected to figure anywhere nearly as prominently in the draft as last year when a stunning 11 young players were picked, including eight in the top 32.
"That was a remarkable year," AFL Queensland's talent manager Mark Browning said.
"Our aim now is to get 12 kids picked up, either in the draft or the rookie list.
"We're hopeful of four players from our system getting the nod in the draft this year."
The AFL draft is supposed to be a time of unlimited optimism for clubs and their fans, but Sydney Coach Paul Roos doesnt seem happy. While there is a case to be made for increasing the draft age a bit, Roos should also remember that without younger prospects in the draft his team wouldnt have won a recent Grand Final, Goodes was at number 2 on the AFL Insider draft prospects list when he was drafted at pick 43 in 1997.
One problem with the draft, and the rules for the league, is that there are too few picks and the club lists are too small. If the lists were increased, it could allow 10 new players to be added to a team every year. The draft could also be expanded to 15 rounds, but only players taken in the first 5 rounds would get the guaranteed contracts. That way a team could have 10 players to evaluate over the offseason to then fit into 5 spots on their list.
Go to the AFL site and have a look at their mock draft. A few teams let the cat out of the bag so expect some of these things to happen.
Jarrad Grant again appears at pick 5, but he really isn't big enough to help the Bulldogs. Although it is the Bulldogs, and their draft success when it comes to the big players that they need is not great.
Sampi, Bradley and Gehrig are named among the last picks. If that does occur, then Fremantle and St Kilda have a lot of friends among the other clubs.
Also have a look to the left among the Spotlight Posts here for the latest mock draft.
A look at the results for the teams in the AFL phantom draft.
Adelaide
BRAD EBERT
Medium midfielder, April 2 1990, 188.2cm, 85.4kg
LEVI GREENWOOD
Medium defender, February 19 1989, 181.2cm, 92.9kg
MITCHELL FARMER
Small midfielder, January 4 1989, 180.3cm, 77kg
JOHN McCARTHY
Medium forward, November 19 1989, 188.6cm, 79.6kg
JARED PETRENKO
Small midfielder, December 22 1989, 177.3cm, 74.6kg
NICK SALTER
Tall forward, July 30 1987, 191.3cm, 94.6kg
TAYLOR WALKER
Tall forward, April 25 1990, 191.5cm, 86.4kg
The Crows would get their revenge on Port Adelaide for drafting the Cornes boys.
Brisbane
LACHLAN HENDERSON
Tall forward, December 14 1989, 195.5cm, 91.5kg
BRENDAN WHITECROSS
Medium midfielder, January 25 1990, 183.3cm, 79.3kg
CHRIS MAYNE
Medium forward, November 2 1988, 187.3cm, 79.8kg
MATT AUSTIN
Medium midfielder, March 30 1989, 186.5cm, 75.4kg
DAVID HILL
Ruckman, February 6 1990, 200.6cm, 86.4kg
Some odd choices, although Henderson might be able to play in the back line there.
Carlton
MATTHEW KREUZER
Ruckman, May 13 1989, 199.5cm, 94kg
DAVID GOURDIS
Tall forward, March 14, 1989, 192.4cm, 88.9kg
SAM REID
Medium midfielder, November 7 1989, 187.6cm, 79.1kg
PASS
If a team gets Gourdis that late in the draft they will be very happy.
Collingwood
BRETT MEREDITH
Small defender, January 20 1989, 181.2cm, 81.5kg
JOSEPH DAYE
Tall defender, February 2 1990, 191.7cm, 78.4kg
JAXSON BARHAM
Small midfielder/defender, May 20 1988, 181.5cm, 73.6kg
Interesting picks, Daye might be a running defender to replace Clement.
Essendon
RHYS PALMER
Small midfielder, February 13 1989, 181.4cm, 79.8kg
TAYTE PEARS
Tall defender, March 24 1990, 190.1cm, 91.8kg
DARCY DANIHER
Tall defender, September 21 1989, 191.1cm, 89.5kg
DEAN PUTT
Ruckman, April 10 1989, 202.5cm, 89.7kg
PASS
Pears would be a player to step into Michael's role, Palmer would be a great addition to their midfield.
Fremantle
DAVID MYERS
Tall defender, June 30 1989, 190.7cm, 86.2kg
STEVEN BROWNE
Small defender, February 1 1989, 179.8cm, 74.7kg
JARRHAN JACKY
Small forward/midfielder, April 5 1989, 178.4cm, 74.5kg
CRUIZE GARLETT
Small forward, March 6 1989, 174cm, 76.7kg
BRENT CONNOLLY
Ruckman, February 24 1989, 201.7cm, 83.3kg
KEPLER BRADLEY
Tall defender/forward, November 13 1985, 199cm, 100kg
They stay local with their picks, Myers would be a big addition to the midfield but some of the other choices may not suit the team.
Geelong
TONY NOTTE
Tall forward, April 15 1990, 194.5cm, 71.5kg
SCOTT SIMPSON
Tall forward, October 19 1989, 195.6cm, 92.1kg
TOM BELLCHAMBERS
Ruckman, July 9 1989, 200.7cm, 99.6kg
SCOTT THOMPSON
Tall defender, May 9 1986, 190.4cm, 85.3kg
ADAM DONOHUE
Small midfielder/defender, February 22 1990, 182.3cm, 82.6kg
They did trade/delist some height, but that would be a lot to add in the draft. Not that a future forward line of Hawkins, Notte and S Simpson isn't something that would dominate. Hard to see how Simpson and Bellchambers fall that far in the draft.
Hawthorn
JACK GRIMES
Medium defender/midfielder, May 11 1989, 186.3cm, 81.6kg
DAN McKENNA
Tall forward, June 29 1989, 195.3cm, 84.5kg
STUART DEW
Medium forward/midfielder, August 18 1979, 183cm, 90kg
Nothing wrong with Grimes, but if Mr Kennedy version 3.0 cannot get into the Hawks' lineup, they have enough of that type of player. McKenna could be an option for full back at Hawthorn.
Kangaroos
CYRIL RIOLI
Small forward/midfielder, July 14 1989, 177cm, 78.9kg
ROBBIE TARRANT
Tall forward, April 25 1989, 195.9cm, 90.1kg
ASHLEY ARROWSMITH
Medium midfielder, April 12 1989, 188.7cm, 81.5kg
TOM McNAMARA
Tall defender, April 29 1990, 190.1cm, 84kg
CLAYTON COLLARD
Small forward/midfielder, December 4 1988, 182cm, 90kg
They could really use Rioli, and the accompanying publicity, if they are in a position to select him. They took Hansen last season, and have Hale already at centre half forward, so Tarrant may not be a good fit.
Melbourne
CALE MORTON
Tall midfielder/forward, January 18 1990, 191.5cm, 78.7kg
PATRICK DANGERFIELD
Medium midfielder, April 5 1990, 186.9cm, 82.8kg
HARRY TAYLOR
Tall forward/defender, June 12 1986, 193cm, 90.8kg
JAMES POLKINGHORNE
Medium midfielder, January 21 1989, 182.7cm, 81kg
KYLE CHENEY
Medium defender, August 25 1989, 184.6cm, 86.2kg
ASHLEY SAMPI
Small forward, January 21 1984, 178cm, 87kg
They seem to draft a similar type of player with Morton and Dangerfield with their early picks, probably not a good idea.
Port Adelaide
PATRICK VESZPREMI
Small defender/forward, September 1 1989, 181.2cm, 84.8kg
MARLON MOTLOP
Small forward, April 17 1990, 179.3cm, 75.2kg
MATTHEW LOBBE
Tall forward, February 12 1989, 199.1cm, 84.2kg
TODD GRIMA
Tall forward, February 5 1987, 192cm, 88kg
Veszpremi would seem to be a player that would fit how they play. Grima could help their forward line now, and Lobbe would help a few years from now.
Richmond
TRENT COTCHIN
Medium midfielder, April 7 1990, 185.1cm, 79kg
TOM COLLIER
Tall defender, March 25 1989, 192.3cm, 83.7kg
DARREN PFEIFFER
Medium midfielder, September 28 1987, 183cm, 81kg
GUY RICHARDS
Ruckman, March 21 1983, 201cm, 98kg
The first two picks would have Richmond fans approving, the next two might have them shaking their heads.
St Kilda
BEN McEVOY
Ruckman, July 11 1989, 200.2cm, 94.6kg
CHRIS KANGARS
Tall defender, August 1 1989, 193.1cm, 84.9kg
HAELEN KAY
Medium forward/midfielder, June 27 1989, 186.8cm, 78.7kg
FRASER GEHRIG
Tall forward, March 3 1976, 195cm, 106kg
Kay and McEvoy could really take some of the pressure off Riewoldt up forward. Kangars could become a big defensive midfielder for the Saints.
Sydney
ALEX RANCE
Tall defender, October 9 1989, 192.3cm, 87.6kg
ANDY OTTEN
Tall forward, May 15 1989, 191cm, 88.8kg
CRAIG BIRD
Small midfielder, January 21 1989, 178cm, 76kg
A tall defender may not be at the top of their list, but if Rance does fall to their pick they should take him. Otten may not be the answer up forward, but might find a midfield role.
West Coast
CHRIS MASTEN
Small midfielder, May 2 1989, 179.6cm, 77.3kg
SCOTT SELWOOD
Medium defender/midfielder, March 27 1990, 185.1cm, 80.3kg
ADDAM MARIC
Small forward, April 18 1990, 177.9cm, 76.8kg
DAWSON SIMPSON
Ruckman, February 17 1989, 205.9cm, 104.9kg
They might already have Priddis in the role that Masten would be used in, although having two players like that following Cox isn't a bad idea. A small forward like Maric would add variety up forward, and they need another ruckman and there are none bigger than Dawson Simpson.
Western Bulldogs
JARRAD GRANT
Tall forward, July 6 1989, 192.4cm, 76.7kg
CALLAN WARD
Medium defender, April 10 1990, 184.7cm, 73kg
STEVEN GAERTNER
Tall defender, January 2 1990, 197.7cm, 85.4kg
GUY O'KEEFE
Medium midfielder, December 5 1989, 185cm, 75.8kg
TONY ARMSTRONG
Medium defender, September 29 1989, 182.9cm, 71.5kg
AARON JOSEPH
Small midfielder, July 4 1989, 179.5cm, 75.9kg
PASS
Gaertner and Joesph might be the most useful for the Bulldogs. Although none of these prospects have the needed bulk that the Bulldogs lack.
Adelaide: John Hinge, Darren Pfeiffer
Brisbane Lions: Marcus Allan, Patrick Garner
Carlton: Craig Flint
Collingwood: Guy Richards
Essendon: Kepler Bradley, Richard Cole, Mark Johnson
Fremantle: Clayton Collard, Ryley Dunn, Calib Mourish, James Walker
Geelong: Stephen Owen, Matthew Spencer
Hawthorn: Matt Little, Josh Thurgood
Kangaroos: Blake Grima, Daniel McConnell, David Trotter, Callam Urch
Melbourne: Ryan Ferguson, Simon Godfrey, Heath Neville
Port Adelaide: Ryan Willits
Richmond: Brent Hartigan, Andrew Krakouer, Carl Peterson
St Kilda: Fraser Gehrig, Andrew McQualter, Phil Raymond, Justin Sweeney
Sydney: Simon Phillips, Jonathan Simpkin, Luke Vogels
West Coast: Daniel Chick, Ashley Sampi
Western Bulldogs: Travis Baird, Damian McCormack, Tim Walsh
Here are a lot of the players who will be drafted on Saturday, with their names rearranged to forms anagrams. A bit of fun and some interesting results, Kangars is very fast even in anagram form, and watch out for Austin Wonaeamirri. David Myers does not have an anagram that describes him accurately, as he should become a very effective midfielder.
Matching up the top 30 picks from last year with some of this year's draftees, and many of them will land in the top 30 picks of this years AFL draft. A few similarities with how they play, their size or the positions they could play.
1 Carlton. Bryce Gibbs - Trent Cotchin
2 Essendon. Scott Gumbleton - Ben McEvoy
3 Kangaroos. Lachlan Hansen - David Gourdis
4 Brisbane. Matthew Leuenberger - Matthew Kruezer
5 Port Adelaide. Travis Boak - Rhys Palmer
6 Hawthorn. Mitchell Thorp - Steve Gaertner
7 Geelong. Joel Selwood - Chris Masten
8 Collingwood. Ben Reid - Lachlan Henderson
9 St Kilda. David Armitage - Brendan Whitecross
10 Collingwood. Nathan Brown - Scott Simpson
11 Western Bulldogs. Andrejs Everitt - Cale Morton
12 Melbourne. James Frawley - Tayte Pears
13 Richmond. Jack Riewoldt - Jarrad Grant
14 Adelaide. James Sellar - Tony Notte
15 Sydney. Daniel O'Keefe - Ashley Arrowsmith
16 West Coast. Mitchell Brown - Dan McKenna
17 Carlton. Sean Hampson - Joel Smouha
18 Essendon. Leroy Jetta - Marlon Motlop
19 Carlton. Shaun Grigg - David Myers
20 Essendon. Tom Hislop - Jack Grimes
21 Kangaroos. Gavin Urquhart - Pat Veszpremi
22 Brisbane. Albert Proud - Brad Ebert
23 Port Adelaide. Paul Stewart - Andy Otten
24 Hawthorn. Brent Renouf - Tom Bellchambers
25 Geelong. Nathan Djerrkura - Cyril Rioli
26 Richmond. Shane Edwards - Patrick McGinnity
27 St Kilda. Brad Howard - Levi Greenwood
28 Collingwood. Chris Dawes - Robbie Tarrant
29 West Coast. Eric MacKenzie - Alex Rance
30 Melbourne. Ricky Petterd - Tom Collier
Scott Selwood Bendigo Pioneers, VIC, 185.1cm, 80.3kg, DOB 27/3/90
Levi Greenwood Port Adelaide Magpies, SA, 181.2cm, 92.9kg, DOB 19/2/89
Jack Grimes Northern Knights, VIC, 186.3cm, 81.6kg, DOB 11/5/89
Steven Browne West Perth, WA, 179.8cm, 74.7kg, DOB 1/2/89
Callan Ward Western Jets, VIC, 184.7cm, 73.0kg, DOB 10/4/90
Brendan Whitecross Zillmere, Qld, 183.3cm, 79.3kg, DOB
An interesting group of players that have been named as medium defenders. Possibly all of them will be drafted as future midfielders.
1 Carlton
Matthew Kreuzer
Ruckman/Tall Forward. 199cm, 91kg. Northern/Bundoora
Draft Talk: There shouldn't be a lot of discussion here, he is big and mobile and skilled, he is just what they need.
Round 1
2 Richmond
Cale Morton
Tall Defender/Midfielder. 192cm, 75kg. Claremont
Draft Talk: This pick will surprise plenty of people and is the most anticipated of the draft, all the attention is on Richmond. Some will want Cotchin, others at Richmond will want Morton, both should be great players so Richmond can't lose. They traded for one Morton so it would make sense that they draft another. Morton gives them size in the midfield, and versatility around the ground. In the future he could be their centre half forward, they won't get that potential from a smaller player.
3 West Coast
Trent Cotchin
Midfielder. 184cm, 81kg. Northern/PEGS
Draft Talk: If Richmond take Cotchin, things will get interesting at this pick.
4 Melbourne
Chris Masten
Midfielder. 179cm, 78kg. East Fremantle
Draft Talk: They need a leader in the middle, someone to setup the play, and Masten could do that.
5 Western Bulldogs
Ben McEvoy
Tall Forward/Ruckman. 199cm, 90kg. Murray/Dederang-Mt Beauty
Draft Talk: He has size, the Bulldogs don't, so this pick would make sense.
Draft Talk: They need help in the middle, and a medium-sized forward option, so Ebert could help in both areas. Ebert is a chance to give Essendon a replacement for Hird.
7 Fremantle
Rhys Palmer
Midfielder/Small Forward. 180cm, 76kg. East Fremantle
Draft Talk: The Dockers will have four or five local prospects on their list and at least a couple of them will make it to this pick. Masten or Palmer would make the Dockers happy, and even if both are gone they can add Myers or even Rance.
8 Brisbane
Alex Rance
Tall Defender. 194cm, 87kg. Swan Districts FC
Draft Talk: They haven't really replaced Leppitsch at centre half back, Rance has size and skills and would be a good fit next to Drummond, Roe and Merrett.
9 St Kilda
Lachlan Henderson
Tall Forward. 196cm, 90kg. Geelong/Geelong College
Draft Talk: A forward option but also could be used in the ruck or at centre half back, the Saints would be a good spot for him.
10 Adelaide
David Myers
Midfielder/Medium Defender. 190cm, 85kg. Perth
Draft Talk: With the Crows he would become a midfielder, a future replacement for Goodwin as a player who will have a lot of kicks to supply the forwards.
11 Sydney
David Gourdis
Tall Forward. 193cm, 88kg. Subiaco
Draft Talk: Would give them a needed athletic forward target.
12 Hawthorn
Tom Collier
Tall Defender/Midfielder. 192cm, 86kg. Lauderdale
Draft Talk: Another option for the Hawks in the back line, but with the ability to play in many other spots too.
13 West Coast
Cyril Rioli
Small Forward/Midfielder. 178cm, 74kg. St Mary's
Draft Talk: They could put Junior into a forward pocket for Round 1 next season, and also develop his midfield game with some time in the middle later in the season.
Draft Talk: Winning teams have a strong back line and Melbourne need one more young tall defender.
15 Kangaroos
Jack Grimes
Midfielder. 187cm, 76kg. Northern/Hurstbridge
Draft Talk: The Kangaroos would like someone who could contribute now, as they need to keep winning to bring in the fans, and they should also look to the future when Simpson will need to be replaced, Grimes would make sense as he will be a contributor next year.
16 Port Adelaide
Levi Greenwood
Midfielder. 181cm, 91kg. Port Magpies/North Whyalla
Draft Talk: They have talked about him, and he may still be there at pick 28 but if they really want to get him they will need to use this selection.
17 Geelong
Steve Gaertner
Tall Forward/Defender. 196cm, 83kg. Dandenong/Edithvale-Aspendale
Draft Talk: They are in a great position, and adding a tall athlete like Gaertner could benefit them in a few years when Harley and Scarlett retire.
Priority Selection
18 Richmond
Scott Simpson
Tall Forward. 194cm, 91kg. Dandenong/Mt Eliza
Draft Talk: Polak played very well in the back line, so if they keep him in the back half it means they need another tall forward. S Simpson would be a great target for them at centre half forward, and in a few years he and J Riewoldt could combine to become the players the Tigers build their forward line around.
Round 2
19 Western Bulldogs
Jarrad Grant
Tall Forward. 191cm, 77kg. Dandenong/Frankston Bombers
Draft Talk: They need all the height they can get up forward, and Grant would be a player they could develop to succeed Scott Welsh at full forward, assuming they do get the former Crow in the preseason draft.
20 West Coast
Tom Bellchambers
Ruckman. 199cm, 91kg. Northern Bombers
Draft Talk: They have two ruckmen on their list, so they should use one of their picks on a ruckmen for depth.
Draft Talk: He is a bit like Cameron Bruce, and as they needed Bruce to play in the middle and also both ends of the ground there is a need for another player like that.
22 West Coast
Patrick McGinnity
Midfielder. 182cm, 75kg. Claremont
Draft Talk: Maybe the Eagles draft four local players, but they should at least get one with their picks and McGinnity would provide the run they want from their midfielders.
23 Essendon
Addam Maric
Small Forward/Midfielder. 179cm, 80kg. Calder/Greenvale
Draft Talk: Their forward line does depend a lot on their talls, so adding Maric would give them a better balance around goals.
Draft Talk: The Dockers would be a good place for Notte, he could develop in the WAFL for a year or two and then take his spot next to Pavlich in their forward line.
25 Brisbane
Scott Selwood.
Midfielder/Small Defender. 184cm, 81. Bendigo/Sandhurst
Draft Talk: They were able to keep their Selwood happy and in Brisbane, and adding his brother would not only benefit Troy but would bolster the back line there.
26 Sydney
Patrick Veszpremi
Midfielder/Small Defender. 181cm, 83kg. Northern/Bundoora
Draft Talk: He will be a good fit there, possibly in the back line, and the Swans would expect him to play a few games in 2008.
27 Adelaide
Tom McNamara
Medium Defender. 189cm, 84kg. South Adelaide/Happy Valley
Draft Talk: Torney is gone, Bassett isn't young, they have a spot on their list for McNamara.
28 Port Adelaide
Dan McKenna
Tall Forward/Defender. 194cm, 82kg. Gippsland/Traralgon
Draft Talk: They need to find another big forward, McKenna would be someone who could eventually replace Tredrea in the forward line, and can also be depth in the back half with Wakelin gone now.
29 Hawthorn
Stuart Dew
Medium Forward. 183cm, 90kg. Port Adelaide
Draft Talk: The Hawks seem to be where he wants to go, so he probably gets there. A player like Dew would enhance their forward line.
Draft Talk: They lost a couple of ruckmen in trade week, while picking up Moran. Moran has great running ability, D Simpson has great size, in a few years they could be a formidable ruck combo.
31 Collingwood
Aaron Joseph
Midfielder. 178cm, 75kg. Glenorchy
Draft Talk: Pendlebury can replace Buckley, Clarke can take Licuria's role, and Joseph would be someone to play in Burns' role in the future.
Draft Talk: The name would just be an added bonus, as they need more height and athleticism in the back line.
33 Port Adelaide
Joel Smouha
Ruckman/Tall Defender. 196cm, 80kg. Mt Gravatt
Draft Talk: Might be a chance to play at full back for the Power, and would also provide a different type of ruckman than the bigger players they currently have.
34 Geelong
Patrick Dangerfield
Medium Defender/Midfielder. 188cm, 80kg. Geelong/Anglesea
Draft Talk: The Cats would get a local player, always something they look for, and "Rodney" would also be a versatile player that could be used in several spots.
Round 3
35 Western Bulldogs
Andy Otten
Tall Forward/Tall Defender. 192cm, 86kg. Oakleigh/Whitefriars
Draft Talk: He can play in several spots, and the Bulldogs have a few different needs that Otten is a chance to fill.
Draft Talk: They need to find another big forward, and Tarrant could challenge players like Austin and Hartlett for a spot in their forward line in 2008.
37 Kangaroos
Marlon Motlop
Small Forward/Midfielder. 182cm, 76kg. Wanderers
Draft Talk: Some more speed for the midfield, or in a forward pocket.
38 Adelaide
Steven Browne
Midfielder. 181cm, 74kg. West Perth
Draft Talk: They get a tall forward prospect with their last pick, Walker, so they can look at other needs with their other picks. A few more midfielders are necessary as they will have some players retire in the coming years.
Draft Talk: While Gumbleton and Daniher could play in the back half when Michael and Fletcher eventually retire, their future is up forward so an extra defender like Sandilands on their list would be a good plan.
69 Fremantle
Jarrhan Jacky
Small Forward/Midfielder. 180cm, 71kg. Subiaco
Draft Talk: They were trying to add some more pace, and have not been too successful, so maybe Jacky can help.
Draft Talk: A versatile player with some midfield skills as well as the ability to play as a forward.
71 Adelaide
Thomas Rockliff
Small Forward. 182cm, 82kg. Murray
Draft Talk: They do have a lot of tall targets to try in their forward line, here is a smaller one.
72 Kangaroos
Tim Bongetti
Tall Forward. 191cm, 89kg. Northern/Greensborough
Draft Talk: Thompson is not just coming back from a severe injury, he doesn't have much left anyway, so another forward who can kick goals is a good move.
Round 6
73 Melbourne
Jackson Hall
Medium Defender/Midfielder. 187cm, 76kg. Gippsland/Traralgon
Draft Talk: Another pick that probably is passed on, but Hall could be a good choice if they do use it.
Draft Talk: They probably keep a pick available for the preseason draft, but adding another tall defender could allow them to play McPharlin forward more or Johnson in the middle.
75 Adelaide
Taylor Walker (NSW scholarship player)
Tall Forward. 192cm, 82kg. North Broken Hill
Draft Talk: He is worth a pick much higher in the draft, so the Crows are very lucky.
RETIRED St Kilda full-forward Fraser Gehrig is a shock nomination for the NAB AFL National Draft.
Former West Coast premiership player Daniel Chick has also nominated for the Draft, along with a host of other delisted AFL players including Essendon trio Mark Johnson, Kepler Bradley and Richard Cole, Collingwoods Guy Richards, Richmonds Andrew Krakouer, West Coasts Ashley Sampi and Fremantles James Walker.
St Kilda Football Club has today signed a Heads of Agreement with Frankston City Council to establish a new $10.25m elite training facility and administration centre at Frankston Park in time for the 2010 AFL Season.
The move might lead to a change in their VFL affiliation, although Cranbourne and Frankston are not too far away from each other. In the past, Frankston have always wanted to be a stand-alone VFL club.
The City of Kingston didn't just drop the ball, they lost it. It will make fans of the Saints around Moorabbin wonder why the council was anti-AFL and anti-sports, they will need someone like Matlock to find the real reason why the council said goodbye to AFL football.
The finances of the deal:
St Kilda Football Club - $1.25m
State Government - $3.45m
Australian Football League - $2.55m
Frankston City Council - $3.00m
Total $10.25m
There are also some other reasons for the move that would not be mentioned elsewhere. Maybe Nathan Burke wants to once again run a sports store in Frankston, so it's time to get the NBA Jam arcade game going again. Robert Harvey would not have to travel far to attend training, and he might still be there playing in a few years. It's not too far from Everitt's neighbourhood, he could be the ruck coach in 2010. Attracting discarded WA players will be easier, as surf spots are just a short drive away from Frankston.
Adelaide - Is there any talent in South Australia?
The Crows usually get the best of the local talent, but it is possible that in this draft they will select only one or two local players.
Brisbane - Does adding Johnstone change their draft strategy?
They were talking about needing midfield help, but they acquired some with a trade so maybe their first rounder is used on another position.
Carlton - Is there anyone there crazy enough to not take the big guy?
The answer is yes, and the Cotchin to Carlton noise is getting louder, although that may just be Ackland and Cloke who are behind that.
Collingwood - Will their players at picks 31 and 47 be better than a lot of the other teams' first rounders?
Their recent drafts have been a lot more successful than most of the other clubs.
Essendon - Is it the player Sheedy would have picked?
Somebody should find Sheedy and ask who he would have taken with picks 6 and 23, maybe Rioli and Veszpremi.
Fremantle - Little or big midfielder?
Maybe one of Myers and Ebert will be available, as well as Masten or Palmer, they do need to find a bigger player but they will probably prefer taking the little East Fremantle onballer.
Geelong - The brother or someone else?
The choice was easy a year ago when a Selwood was still available at their pick, this time another Selwood will probably be there to pick but there may be a tall defender or forward that is a better choice for addressing their depth.
Hawthorn - Do they really want Dew, and what pick would they use on him?
They won't use pick 12 on Dew, pick 29 may be where they take him and Dew at 45 would be a huge steal.
Kangaroos - Do they even know the draft is on?
They are a bit busy with other things at the moment.
Melbourne - What is their biggest need?
A newspaper had a story and picture about the Melbourne management working out who they would pick, it didn't look like they were having an easy time deciding. They need help everywhere, but at least they have an extra first rounder to use.
Port Adelaide - The Port Adelaide player or someone from some other club?
They have a miniscule chance of getting Ebert, but Greenwood will probably get to their pick.
Richmond - Morton or Cotchin, or even another player?
Even though it is Richmond picking at number 2, it would be hard to do anything wrong with this pick. Morton or Cotchin would improve their team, even Rance at centre half back or McEvoy at centre half forward would be a good thing too.
St Kilda - Big forward or big ruckman ?
They might be able to find a player that does both, or they could be deciding between Bellchambers or Gourdis.
Sydney - Help now or in a few years?
They can take a couple of players who might be ready when Hall and Barry retire in a few years, or they could take players that are ready to contribute next season.
West Coast - Local or not?
A Victorian or local midfielder, a Tasmanian ruckman or a local tall forward prospect, with every one of their four picks there will be a local player worth taking and also more than one alternative from another state.
Western Bulldogs - Which tall forward?
Grant, McEvoy, Gourdis, Henderson or someone else, they have said there are five big forwards to consider for their first rounder.
A few of the official team sites are starting to have draft news. Collingwood and Carlton are two teams with updated pages. Fremantle are a bit behind the times, as clicking on their draft news will produce a story of how well Collard and Mourish are going.
Collingwood also have a poll asking what type of player they need to draft.
Quick midfielder
Inside midfielder
Key defender
Running defender
Key forward
Small forward
Ruckman
Go for the best available
The quick midfielder is currently far ahead of the other options.
He probably should have become a Miami Dolphin, but Stuart Dew did not go to the NFL and after a year off he is expected to return to the AFL via the draft. He would be a good addition to most teams and it will mean some added excitement when the names are announced on draft day.
Adelaide
The Crows have been talked about, and they know they need help in the forward line, but they need to go with a youth movement as their window has been slammed shut. Dew is too old now, although he would have been great for them a couple of seasons ago.
Brisbane
Bradshaw is back, Johnstone was traded for, they kept Charman and Brennan, so the Lions are trying to contend now. Adding Dew would be a good move.
Carlton
They don't have much of a forward line, just Zapp Brannigan at full forward, but Carlton doesn't seem like they would draft Dew.
Collingwood
They dont have many picks in the draft, and one of them has already been used on Barham as a father/son pick, but Dew might be a good fit at Collingwood.
Essendon
It would be fun to watch him and Lucas on the same team, but Essendon really need to use their picks on youth.
Fremantle
They have plenty of picks, and after wasting some of their picks last year at least they would get someone who knows how to play.
Geelong
They don't need him, but it would give them added depth among their forwards as they try to go back-to-back.
Hawthorn
This is supposed to be his intended destination, and it would be a good fit. Dixon is gone, so there is a vacancy for a medium forward to compliment all their tall options.
Kangaroos
They probably need more speed, and Dew won't help there, but they also need more scoring options so it wouldn't hurt if they drafted him.
Melbourne
The new coach may be from Port Adelaide but Melbourne are going young and rebuilding.
Port Adelaide
Maybe if Dew was there and had a few of the shots at goal early in the Grand Final it would have helped the Power produce a bigger score. The Power have not said they want him, but if they are going to produce a draft shock they won't be advertising it.
Richmond
They are a long way from contending, Dew would not be a good fit.
St Kilda
The Saints do not have a lot of options when it comes to secondary forward players. If the Saints added Dew to their forward line, along with Schneider who they acquired from Sydney, it would mean Riewoldt would have a lot more help around him, which is important with Gehrig and Hamill gone.
Sydney
They are playing to win right now, so adding Dew to their other older players would be a good move. Their last pick in the draft will be used on Craig Bird, and they only have two other selections, so it will be difficult for them to draft Dew.
West Coast
They have four picks in the draft but they are probably too early to use on Dew. He would add a needed quality to their forward line, and maybe that is why they were trying to organise another selection in the national draft.
Western Bulldogs
Very good in 2006, very bad in 2007, but there is a chance that they can rebound in 2008. Hudson will help in the ruck, but it is up forward where they need more assistance. Scott Welsh is a good start, and if they can also add Dew to their forward line it would give them a lot more goals.
Big guys win premierships, it is that simple. Ottens and Mooney, Cox and Hansen, McKernan and Carey, Rehn and Robran, even Cloke and Lee, every team that has won had the big bodies that the team was built on. The little guys get the awards and the statistics, the big guys produce team success.
Kreuzer goes at number 1, he has to. Carlton should have taken Leuenberger last year and they won't go small in this draft. The next pick could go on a number of players, and McEvoy deserves to be mentioned among Morton and Cotchin, and maybe Rance and Palmer too. Pick number 2 is in the possession of the coach of small-ball, so don't expect McEvoy to be taken here and what pick he is drafted at is something to watch.
McEvoy is huge, 200cm and 95kg, and he can mark the ball out on the lead or battling an opponent or two. With around 8 marks a game, and a third of them were contested marks, McEvoy was a consistent target in the forward line and also around the ground. He was also a very accurate kick for goal, what more could a team be looking for, and he is solid in the ruck too.
BPA seems to be the strategy for a lot of teams on draft day, as they take the Best Available Player, but when the game is on a team will always get more from a very good tall than they will from a great small.
Richmond - McEvoy would be their biggest forward, and probably close to their biggest ruckman, but they don't seem too interested.
West Coast - They only have two ruckmen, so there is a spot there, but they also have quite a number of young big forwards, so McEvoy may not be too high on their list. If he lasted until their next pick, it would be a very good draft for the Eagles.
Melbourne - They have Neitz who might be playing his last year, there is the second Juice Newton, Dunn was playing in the midfield and Miller was often in the VFL, they need help in the forward line.
Western Bulldogs - In too many drafts the Bulldogs have taken a "little guy who can run" with their earliest pick. Mark Alvey, Brad Johnson, Jordan McMahon, Leon Cameron, Sam Power, Kym Koster, Michael Martin, while some of them did become stars they had few targets to kick the ball to. Everyone is saying tall forward Jarrad Grant at this spot in the draft, and maybe everyone is right, but except for running a bit faster than McEvoy there isn't anything he does better, and the Bulldogs already have an oversupply of players who can run.
Essendon - According to a mock draft from one of the newspapers, this is where McEvoy could land. It would probably be the worst spot for him. Hille and Laycock are the ruckmen, Lucas is the centre half forward of the present and Gumbleton is the centre half forward of the future, Ryder can also play in those positions, it is difficult to see where McEvoy would fit.
Fremantle - In 2006, they were a game away from the Grand Final. In 2007, they had more problems than that new Bingo TV show. The Dockers nearly had the same team for each season, and they were even supposed to be better with Tarrant but there was another big change, Longmuir was hurt. While they will probably be too excited to take McEvoy, due to WA midfielders Palmer, Masten or Myers being available, if they do grab McEvoy it would help their ruck depth and also add a very tall forward option to take pressure off Pavlich.
Brisbane - Lynch and Brown was unstoppable, but now with Brown and someone they are only an average team. Brennan is entertaining but also very inconsistent, Bradshaw should come back with plenty of goals but he is more of a third option, Clark hasn't done a lot yet, so McEvoy would make sense.
St Kilda - Riewoldt and McEvoy would be something that St Kilda fans would be very happy with, and opposition coaches would struggle to stop. That would be a lot of marking power. For season 2007, there were times when it seemed the Saints were going to become a contender but they needed to have Koschitzke in the ruck and also in the forward line, if they get McEvoy in the draft it could be as good as having two Koschitzkes at St Kilda.
Adelaide - The Crows didn't expect Sellar to get to their pick a year ago, so they may not think McEvoy will make it this time. It wouldn't be too long before McEvoy was getting a lot of minutes in the ruck for the Crows.
Here is your chance to get Darren Gaspars jumper, as well as the uniforms from a large number of other Tigers from 2006. At a bargain price, this is something that Richmond fans cannot miss.
You can get a Polo shirt, Dean Polos jumper. Other Tigers include Pettifer, P Bowden, Newman, Chaffey, Roach and for those who need a bigger size there is Greg Staffords jumper. Joel Bowdens jumper is yet to have a bid.
The players who are called "small forwards" are often the hardest to predict for where they go in the draft. If teams are not sure if they can also play in the midfield it can cause them to slide during the draft. Here are five small forward prospects that the AFL have said will feature on draft day, and there is a probable first rounder as well as a couple more who should go in the top 30.
Cyril Rioli - Northern Territory Thunder, NT, 177.0cm, 78.9kg, DOB 14/07/89
Addam Maric Calder Cannons, VIC, 177.9cm, 76.8kg, DOB 18/4/90
Patrick Veszpremi Northern Knights, VIC, 181.2cm, 84.8kg, DOB 1/9/89
Jarrhan Jacky Subiaco, WA, 178.4cm, 74.5kg, DOB 5/4/89
Chris Mayne Perth, WA, 187.3cm, 79.8kg, DOB 2/11/88
Rioli will get as much media coverage on draft day as Kreuzer will. Starting at Essendon with pick 6, Rioli will be an option for many teams selecting in the first round.
Maric and Veszpremi could also sneak into the end of the first round. Maric is ahead of most other prospects when it comes to kicking accuracy and Veszpremi can make an impact in several positions. Jacky is a very fast player and plenty of teams need to add that, while Mayne is someone that will have been scouted more by the WA teams and could be a good pick for the Eagles or Dockers. The Dockers have more picks than the Eagles and if Mayne is drafted it could be the Dockers who get him.
Here are the top 25 prospects from The Age newspaper, use the links below to read some scouting reports.
1. Trent Cotchin
2. Matthew Kreuzer
3. Cale Morton
4. David Myers
5. Jarrad Grant
6. Cyril Rioli
7. Alex Rance
8. Patrick Dangerfield
9. Chris Masten
10. Brad Ebert
11. Ben McEvoy
12. Rhys Palmer
13. Jack Grimes
14. Lachlan Henderson
15. Patrick Veszpremi
16. Tayte Pears
17. Tom Collier
18. Scott Selwood
19. Tony Notte
20. Addam Maric
21. Callan Ward
22. Brendan Whitecross
23. Tom McNamara
24. Levi Greenwood
25. Mitch Farmer
There isn't a lot of draft news around, as the media seem to be sleeping instead of finding draft sleepers. The Herald Sun provided a bit of draft talk in the Saturday edition.
Here are their top 11 players:
Matthew Kreuzer
Trent Cotchin
Cale Morton
David Myers
Chris Masten
Rhys Palmer
Lachlan Henderson
Ben McEvoy
Brad Ebert
Jack Grimes
Alex Rance
There was a time when Ryan Willits was a prospect who was ranked very highly by clubs as they planned for the 2004 AFL draft. The Power drafted him but couldn't find a spot that was right for him, as they had Lade and Brogan in the ruck and several tall forwards that they preferred ahead of Willits. Port Adelaide have now delisted Willits and once again he might be in an AFL draft.
Back in 2004, John Meesen, Adam Pattison, Cameron Wood and Ryan Willits all went between picks 8 and 19. None of them have been able to cement a regular starting spot with the teams that drafted them, and both Woods and Meesen were recently traded. Pattison played a lot for Richmond in 2007 but some of the reason for that was Simmonds was injured.
Like Pattison and Meesen, people are not sure if Willits is a forward or a ruckman. Willits averaged a goal per game in the SANFL and if he is in the AFL next season the forward line might be the best spot for him.
Close to 200cm and 100kg, Willits qualifies as a big body and more than a few AFL teams need someone like that in the forward line. The Bulldogs are always small, the Blues traded away one centre half forward and retired another, the Swans need some more height, the Saints have a spot on their list for another big forward and the Dockers don't have a forward/ruckman with Longmuir retiring.
While Willits didn't do a lot during his time with Port Adelaide, he might reach his potential with a new club. What might be right for you, may not be right for some, might be how another club looks at Willits and his time at Port Adelaide.
Name: David Gourdis
Height: 193
Weight: 89
State: Western Australia
Club(s): Subiaco
AFL Positions:
A quick-leading, high-flying centre half forward. Probably plays better in the space around half forward but would also be effective when isolated in the goal-square at full forward.
Perfect Fit For:
The Swans have skill, and strength, in their forward line but some added athleticism would help too. Hall and O'Loughlin need a bit of help and another marking option like Gourdis would make sense.
AFLinsider.net prediction:
Somewhere in the first round, which might mean anywhere from pick 5 to pick 15. The Bulldogs have said they are assessing a group of five tall forwards for their first round pick, Gourdis might be part of that group. Maybe he goes a bit later, and the Swans or Crows could be his destination.
AFL Fantasy Outlook:
The potential is there for him to be a very good fantasy forward, with contested marks and goals, but it could be a couple of years away.
The AFL have released the new updated draft order, a few more selections can now be used by the Kangaroos and Port Adelaide. Up to 75 players could be selected, although several teams will pass on their picks late in the draft so they can select someone in the preseason draft.
PRIORITY PICK
1 Carlton
ROUND ONE
2 Richmond
3 West Coast
4 Melbourne
5 Western Bulldogs
6 Essendon
7 Fremantle
8 Brisbane Lions
9 St Kilda
10 Adelaide
11 Sydney
12 Hawthorn
13 West Coast
14 Melbourne
15 Kangaroos
16 Port Adelaide
17 Geelong
PRIORITY PICK
18 Richmond
ROUND TWO
19 Western Bulldogs
20 West Coast
21 Melbourne
22 West Coast
23 Essendon
24 Fremantle
25 Brisbane Lions
26 Sydney
27 Adelaide
28 Port Adelaide
29 Hawthorn
30 Adelaide
31 Collingwood
32 Kangaroos
33 Port Adelaide
34 Geelong
ROUND THREE
35 Western Bulldogs
36 Carlton
37 Kangaroos
38 Adelaide
39 Essendon (Darcy Daniher Father/son)
40 Fremantle
41 Brisbane Lions
42 St Kilda
43 Western Bulldogs
44 Geelong
45 Hawthorn
46 Carlton
47 Collingwood
48 Western Bulldogs
49 Port Adelaide
50 Geelong
Robbie Tarrant Bendigo Pioneers, VIC, 195.9cm, 90.1kg, DOB 25/4/89
Tony Notte Swan Districts, WA, 194.5cm, 71.5kg, DOB 15/4/90
Jarrad Grant Dandenong Stingrays, VIC, 192.4cm, 76.7kg, DOB 6/7/89
Lachlan Henderson Geelong Falcons, VIC, 195.5cm, 91.5kg, DOB 14/12/89
David Gourdis Subiaco, WA, 192.4cm, 88.9kg, DOB 14/3/89
Three athletes and two big bodies are listed here. Gourdis, Notte and Grant will be difficult for defenders to keep up with in the air and for speed on the ground. Notte may be the best of the lot, but could take longer to develop. Grant is a bit bigger now in height compared to his previous measurements, and instead of being a third forward he should be able to eventually play a key post. Gourdis could go very early in the draft, as the test results backup what the talent scouts thought he could do.
Tarrant and Henderson also have plenty of athleticism, but in addition they combine that with being a bigger target in the forward line. They will be more suited to doing the hard work at centre half forward, hitting the packs and bringing the ball to ground if they cannot mark it themselves.
Not the most important thing happening in the AFL at the moment, but some of the pieces of the preseason draft could be falling into place. Scott Welsh looks like he will be a Bulldog, which has to get people wondering what the Tigers are up to, they could be after a big guy. There might only be around 10 or so picks in the AFL preseason draft, but here are some possibilities for all the clubs.
Richmond - A ruckman seems to be where they are heading, maybe Guy Richards or Lachlan McKinnon.
Carlton - May not have a choice, although recent history says they want an undersized ruckman like Ackland, Cloke and McLaren. They should be looking for a big centre half forward, Matthew Spencer from Geelong could bring in some bulk.
Melbourne - Sampi, it might happen, but it is a risky move.
Western Bulldogs - Full forward Scott Welsh , it seems that the teams above will pass on him and the Bulldogs will get him.
Essendon - Cameron Howat might be someone they consider.
Fremantle - Probably take Bradley in the AFL National Draft, so maybe they shock everyone and take a former Eagle onballer here, although giving Ryley Dunn another shot might be more likely.
Brisbane - While they can take a few Queensland players in the rookie draft, there might be one that they would prefer taking to put right on their list, maybe Zorko if he makes it through the national draft.
St Kilda - Maybe Coach Lyon wants another former Swan, Vogels is available.
Adelaide - An experienced full forward from the SANFL might be a good choice, Brant Chambers might be the one to draft.
Sydney - Someone like Adam Iacobucci would help their midfield.
Hawthorn - Nathan Batsanis, he would be a good addition as an outside midfielder to their list.
West Coast - They probably do have a preseason draft pick, maybe Tristan Cartledge would help as a third ruckman on their list.
Collingwood - Unlikely to have a choice in this draft, if they are selecting they might go for size and someone like Lachlan Button.
Kangaroos - Mark Johnson is a possibility, but the Kangaroos probably should go after a younger player.
Port Adelaide - Todd Grima is a chance, they could use some goals from this former Cat.
Geelong - They sent King to the Saints, maybe Geelong could draft Barry Brooks to add another tall body to the list.
No hairnet would be able to contain Dale Thomas of Collingwood, which is why he must be wearing a hat in the picture on the Magpies site, and he and other Collingwood players will be at McDonalds restaurants for McHappy Day.
Saturday 17 November is McHappy Day.
Dale Thomas and Tarkyn Lockyer are the Victorian Ambassadors for McHappy Day and along with the rest of their team-mates will be helping out in McDonald's restaurants on the day - we hope you will come along and meet the players and help to raise money for RMHC.
There should be some excitement, possibly around picks 25 to 30, with Stuart Dew in the draft now. It has been Hawthorn that has been talked about as his destination, but a few other clubs could really use his kicking in September 2008. What happens in the draft with Dew could be similar to Saverio Rocca and where he went in the 2000 AFL draft.
Kepler Bradley is also a player who has nominated for this draft, he probably gets to Fremantle but if they want to be certain about that they may need to use a pick a round earlier than planned.
While they, and many others, may pass with their late picks, the Adelaide Crows have been given an additional pick at the end of the draft with Scott Welsh leaving.
An update, with team needs and other information, will be posted soon.
1 Carlton
Matthew Kreuzer
Ruckman/Tall Forward. 199cm, 91kg. Northern/Bundoora
2 Richmond
Cale Morton
Tall Defender/Midfielder. 192cm, 75kg. Claremont
3 West Coast
Trent Cotchin
Midfielder. 184cm, 81kg. Northern/PEGS
4 Melbourne
Brad Ebert
Midfielder. 187cm, 86kg. Port Magpies/Henley
5 Western Bulldogs
Ben McEvoy
Tall Forward/Ruckman. 199cm, 90kg. Murray/Dederang-Mt Beauty
6 Essendon
Rhys Palmer
Midfielder/Small Forward. 180cm, 76kg. East Fremantle
7 Fremantle
David Myers
Midfielder/Medium Defender. 190cm, 85kg. Perth
8 Brisbane
Alex Rance
Tall Defender. 194cm, 87kg. Swan Districts FC
9 St Kilda
Lachlan Henderson
Tall Forward. 196cm, 90kg. Geelong/Geelong College
10 Adelaide
Chris Masten
Midfielder, 179cm, 78kg. East Fremantle
11 Sydney
David Gourdis
Tall Forward. 193cm, 88kg. Subiaco
12 Hawthorn
Tom Collier
Tall Defender/Midfielder. 192cm, 86kg. Lauderdale
13 West Coast
Cyril Rioli
Small Forward/Midfielder. 178cm, 74kg. St Mary's
14 Melbourne
Tayte Pears
Tall Defender. 192cm, 90kg. East Perth
15 Kangaroos
Jack Grimes
Midfielder. 187cm, 76. Northern/Hurstbridge
16 Port Adelaide
Levi Greenwood
Midfielder. 181cm, 91kg. Port Magpies/North Whyalla
17 Geelong
Scott Selwood.
Midfielder/Small Defender. 184cm, 81. Bendigo/Sandhurst
18 Richmond
Tom Bellchambers
Ruckman. 199cm, 91kg. Northern Bombers
19 Western Bulldogs
Steve Gaertner
Tall Forward. 196cm, 83kg. Dandenong/Edithvale-Aspendale
20 West Coast
Patrick McGinnity
Midfielder. 182cm, 75kg. Claremont
21 Melbourne
Patrick Veszpremi
Midfielder/Small Defender. 181cm, 83kg. Northern/Bundoora
22 West Coast
Dawson Simpson
Ruckman. 205cm, 97kg. Murray/Barnawartha
23 Essendon
Addam Maric
Small Forward/Midfielder. 179cm, 80kg. Calder/Greenvale
24 Fremantle
Tony Notte
Tall Forward. 194cm, 70kg. Swan Districts
25 Brisbane
Ashley Arrowsmith
Medium Forward/Midfielder. 188cm, 82kg. Calder/East Keilor
26 Sydney
Chris Kangars
Tall Defender/Midfielder. 193cm, 84kg. Geelong/Geelong Amateurs
27 Adelaide
Scott Simpson
Tall Forward. 194cm, 91kg. Dandenong/Mt Eliza
28 Port Adelaide
Stuart Dew
Medium Forward. 183cm, 90kg. Port Adelaide
29 Hawthorn
Jarrad Grant
Tall Forward. 191cm, 77kg. Dandenong/Frankston Bombers
30 Adelaide
Tom McNamara
Medium Defender. 189cm, 84kg. South Adelaide/Happy Valley
31 Collingwood
Aaron Joseph
Midfielder. 178cm, 75kg. Glenorchy
32 Kangaroos
Marlon Motlop
Small Forward/Midfielder. 182cm, 76kg. Wanderers
33 Port Adelaide
Will Sullivan
Ruckman. 202cm, 95kg. Western/Werribee
34 Geelong
Dan McKenna
Tall Forward/Defender. 194cm, 82kg. Gippsland/Traralgon
35 Western Bulldogs
Patrick Dangerfield
Medium Defender/Midfielder. 188cm, 80kg. Geelong/Anglesea
36 Carlton
Matthew Lobbe
Tall Forward. 197cm, 80kg. Eastern/Monbulk
37 Kangaroos
Joel Smouha
Ruckman/Tall Defender. 196cm, 80kg. Mt Gravatt
38 Adelaide
Luke Sampey
Tall Forward. 191cm, 91kg. East Perth
Alex Rance Swan Districts, WA, 192.3cm, 87.6kg, DOB 9/10/89
David Myers Perth, WA, 190.7cm, 86.2kg, DOB 30/6/89
Tayte Pears East Perth, WA, 190.1cm, 91.8kg, DOB 24/3/90
Tom Collier Tassie Mariners, TAS, 192.3cm, 83.7kg, DOB 25/3/89
Chris Kangars Geelong Falcons, VIC, 193.1cm, 84.9kg, DOB 1/8/89
Not any huge players among the top defenders available in the draft, Pears actually might play the tallest even though he is the shortest of the above five prospects. Pears has plenty of weight, which means muscle, to use and this should mean he is more prepared to play in 2008.
Rance and Myers could be vying for the first of this group to go in the draft. It will depend on what teams are looking for, as Rance is a fundamental tall defender while Myers is more of a midfielder and running defender. Both will be definite first rounders.
Kangars has height and great running ability, he gets ranked somewhere between project and athletic freak so it will be something to watch on draft day for who selects him. The Cats would be a good spot for him. Collier also has athleticism as well as a variety of skills that allow him to play in most positions on the ground.
No, it isn't a music countdown, this is a list of who the AFL say are the top 30 prospects for the Australian Football League draft. The list was alphabetical, and can be viewed on the Essendon site with accompanying scouting reports, but to make it easier the prospects have been rearranged into tiers.
The tiers are sorted alphabetically, and provide five groups of prospects from the 30 names on the AFL list. Kreuzer is ahead of the pack, but the next ten to twelve players could go in any order.
The Undisputed Top Prospect:
Matthew Kreuzer, VIC, 13 May 1989, Ruckman, 199.5cm, 94kg.
Destined For Future Greatness:
Trent Cotchin, VIC, 7 April 1990, 185.1cm, 79.5kg.
Brad Ebert, SA, 2 April 1990, Small Midfielder, 188.2cn, 85.4kg.
Ben McEvoy, VIC, 11 July 1989, Ruckman, 200.2cm, 94.6kg.
Cale Morton, WA, 18 January 1990, Tall Forward, 191.5cm, 78.7kg.
Have To Become Superstars:
Lachlan Henderson, VIC, 14 December 1989, Tall Forward, 195.5cm, 91.5kg.
David Myers, WA, 30 June 1989, Tall Defender, 190.7cm, 86.2kg.
Chris Masten, WA, 2 May 1989, Small Midfielder, 179.6cm, 77.3kg.
Rhys Palmer, WA, 13 February 1989, Small Midfielder, 181.4cm, 79.8kg.
Alex Rance, WA, 9 October 1989, Tall Defender, 192.3cm, 87.6kg.
Cyril Rioli, NT, 14 July 1989, Small Forward, 177cm, 78.9kg.
Worth A First Rounder, Should Be 200-Game Players:
Tom Collier, Tasmania, 25 March 1989, 192.3cm, 83.7kg.
David Gourdis, WA, 14 March 1989, Tall Forward, 192.4cm, 88.9kg.
Levi Greenwood, SA, 19 February 1989, Medium Defender, 181.2cm, 92.9kg.
Jack Grimes, VIC, 11 May 1989, Medium Defender, 186.3cm, 81.6kg.
Tony Notte, WA, 15 April 1990, Tall Forward, 194.5cm, 71.5kg.
Tayte Pears, WA, 24 March 1990, Tall Defender, 190.1cm, 91.8kg.
Patrick Veszpremi, VIC, 1 September 1989, Medium Defender, 181.2cm, 84.8kg.
Solid Players and Projects That Could Be Draft Steals:
Ashley Arrowsmith, VIC, 12 April 1989, Medium Midfielder, 188.7cm, 81.5kg:
Steven Browne, WA, 1 February 1989, Small Defender, 179.8cm, 74.7kg:
Patrick Dangerfield, VIC, 5 April 1990, Medium Midfielder, 186.9cm, 82.8kg.
Jarrad Grant, VIC, 6 July 1989, Tall Forward, 192.4cm, 76.7kg.
Chris Kangars, VIC, 1 August 1989, Tall Defender, 193.1cm, 84.9kg.
Addam Maric, VIC, 18 April 1990, Small Forward, 177.9cm, 76.8kg.
Marlon Motlop, NT, 17 April 1990, Small Forward, 179.3, 75.2kg.
Andy Otten, VIC, 15 May 1989, Tall Forward, 191cm, 88.8kg.
Sam Reid, QLD, 7 November 1989, Medium Midfielder, 187.6cm, 79.1kg.
Scott Selwood, VIC, 27 March 1990, Medium Defender, 185.1cm, 80.3kg.
Robbie Tarrant, VIC, 25 April 1989, Tall Forward, 195.9cm, 90.1kg.
Brendan Whitecross, QLD, 25 January 1990, Medium Midfielder, 183.3cm, 79.3kg.
It is football season every day of the year in South Australia, which is a good thing, and Scott Welsh's decision to move to a new club has given the Crows' fans something to think about. Some believe the Crows are not going to be able to kick goals without him there, others are happy he is on the way out and are calling for a broom to be sent through the list.
The Advertiser has a story, many comments from football fans and also a poll.
Should the Crows have done more to keep Scott Welsh?
Yes, he's too valuable to lose 34% (346 votes)
No, the Crows had to stand firm 39% (397 votes)
Don't care 25% (259 votes)
Total votes Total of 1002 votes
Reported in The Age, Welsh possibly will get to the Bulldogs as Richmond, Carlton and Melbourne may have other players they want. Who those players are could be a big surprise, Melbourne do have Sampi training there. Crow flying towards Whitten Oval
Saverio Rocca is halfway through his first NFL season and his team, the Philadelphia Eagles, might be about to make a run to the playoffs. It is possible that they could finish the season with 9 wins, as long as Westbrook continues to star, and that might be enough for them to sneak into the playoffs. At least one Australian punter will be in the playoffs as Dallas is close to a lock, although the season is over for the Jets with only one win from 9 games.
Have a look at the official Philadelphia Eagles site for an interview with Sav Rocca as well as a report on their first year players.
PE.com: What did your family do to celebrate Halloween?
SR: "Obviously, trick or treating. We just went out in the neighborhood with a couple of the neighbors and walked the streets and enjoyed ourselves. The kids were having a great time, running from door to door. It was great fun. It was fine. It wasn't cold at all."
Every year there are players who get surprisingly delisted and people wonder why. There are also stars of the Under 18 competitions who can start sliding on draft day and sometimes go undrafted. AFL clubs know a lot more than they let on, and as the money in football keeps getting bigger there will be a lot more spent on making sure that clubs don't waste their draft picks on potential busts with bad attitudes.
In the NFL, every team will employ people, like former FBI agents, to check the background of the players they are thinking about drafting.
The AFL clubs do not need to have Jim Rockford or Michael Knight investigating the prospects to find some who could be the rotten apple. A number of them allegedly have their own internet sites, on myspace and other similar sites, that make them nearly undraftable.
Callan Ward and Cruize Garlett are two prospects on the fringe of being selected in the draft, but their alleged internet pages could be a red flag for AFL recruiters. Take Ben Cousins' fashion sense, and attitude, and it gives an idea of how they portray themselves. At least if they get picked in the rookie draft they will get some shirts to wear. Recruiters would watch them and wonder if they can be team players, and how they act off the field could sway their decision.
Darin Stewart is another potential AFL player who gives an indication on his alleged internet page that football isn't the biggest priority. Sam Reid probably has recruiters wondering if he is really giving it his all when he plays, what he allegedly writes on the internet for people to read means his attitude will continue to be questioned.
Their "friends" will say that these people can do anything they want, and that may be true, but AFL clubs and their sponsors will be doing what is best for them. As soon as a club drafts a player it locks them into giving them at least $100,000, over two years. That is a big investment, and many teams can't afford to make too many mistakes. Most sponsors don't want to be associated with clubs that have problems, and when a large company is choosing netball instead of a premiership club that sends a message.
The Bulldogs probably paid Jordan McMahon around $1,000,000 during his years at the club, that is a lot to spend on someone when he didnt contribute to any real success and when he left the club all he could say was "I just had some personal issues off the field with regards to family and I'm not sure it was handled that well at my previous club". The Bulldogs might have gotten the fancy suit back from him but all that money is gone.
While the actual players need to take responsibility for how they act, it is also an indictment on their coaches. Sometimes coaches at a lower level will let people get away with anything as long as the team wins, which is good for their chances of being promoted and getting a coaching job in a bigger league. An example of that could be the Dandenong Stingrays a decade ago, whoever was in charge there sent out prospects like Angwin, Fevola and Johnstone, not exactly the types of people you would have to greet the Pope if he visited.
It would be great if these internet sites were not from the possible draft picks, and it was just someone using their name, but it is unlikely.
Hopefully young players who think they are a chance of being taken in a future draft will decide it is much better to be visiting sick children in hospital and training to be their best at football than to be getting attention for acting like rappers and soccer fans. Being a role model and a possible future millionaire footballer is a better goal to target than being Big Man On Campus for a year or two and missing out on the draft.
The days of clubs letting their stars get away with nearly anything are coming to an end, so they aren't going to be using their draft picks on players with character issues. It will be interesting to see if some of the "talented" prospects start to get overlooked because of their baggage, although there will always be one club that is going to take a risk, but for the 2007 draft it won't be the Eagles.
Scott Welsh won't be at full forward for the Adelaide Crows next year, and he is entering the preseason draft where Richmond have the top pick. Carlton, Melbourne and the Western Bulldogs could all potentially have high picks in the preseason draft as well.
Richmond could be looking for someone to fill the boots of Kent Kingsley, Welsh can do that. Richardson needs another marking forward with him close to goals, as he often goes on a lead that ends up somewhere on the wing. Richardson and Welsh in the goal-square with Nathan Brown in a forward pocket, Polak and Riewoldt as marking targets around half forward and Pettifer doing what he does too, it could produce a lot more goals than they usually get.
Carlton do need another forward, but probably a different type of player than Welsh so they may not be interested in taking him in the preseason draft. Melbourne would be a great spot for Welsh, and a forward line of Neitz, Robertson, Davey, Newton, Green and Welsh would be productive.
The Bulldogs have to grab a big forward or two in the AFL national draft, but they may not be regular contributors in 2008, Welsh would be someone who could help them up forward next season. Welsh may have already had talks with the Bulldogs about the terms of a two-year contract, but it could be difficult for him to get past the other teams that could be picking before the Bulldogs do in the preseason draft.
For the Crows, losing Welsh is not a big problem. They will have to undergo a major rebuilding and Welsh, at his age, was never going to be around when the Crows became a contender again. Adelaide will also have the option of having another pick in the upcoming draft with Welsh leaving.
Drafts are always fun as fans, and the teams as well, make some big predictions and comparisons. If the prospect is very tall and coordinated the tag of "The Next Dean Cox" is often given to them. If they are short and get the ball 50 times a game, "The Next Greg Williams". Adelaide fans should be excited, as well as patient for two or three years, as they could have "The Next Jonathan Brown".
The hype around the Crows' new forward Taylor Walker is just going to keep getting bigger if he keeps getting taller. It wasn't too long ago that he was listed at 188cm, now he is said to be 192cm with the expectation to be even bigger. Jonathan Brown is listed at around 195cm and 102kg.
Perrie is gone, Welsh isn't a long-term answer if he stays there, so Walker might be in the Adelaide goal-square at full forward a lot sooner than some think.
The Swans and Crows have added players to their main lists with NSW scholarship players, and the Eagles will reportedly add a player to their rookie list too, and the Kangaroos may also be about to benefit from the talent in New South Wales.
James Wilsen, a Kangaroos, NSW scholarship player, has now been added to the unlisted players that are able to train with the Kangaroos before the draft, David Trotter and Jarrod Bannister are the other players there. The Kangaroos have not announced anything about Wilsen, about selecting him in the draft, but they should add him to their list. He is a big, powerful centre half forward prospect and he makes Leigh Brown look like Matthew Lappin. Wilsen is 195cm, and at least 95kg.
If Wilsen does get drafted he will join Bird and Walker as the first NSW scholarship players in the AFL. Another Big W will probably come through that system next year as ruckman Max Wilson could join the Dockers. Geelong fans will also have a year to learn how to pronounce Ediriwickrama, in 2009 the speedy Ranga Ediriwickrama will probably join the Cats.
The Kangaroos have also come to an arrangement with Werribee in the VFL and they will replace Tasmania as one of the teams with access to the Kangaroos' that are not playing in the AFL.
Go along to the official AFL site and have a look at their choices for the top ruck prospects in the draft. Scouting reports, official measurements, draft camp results and playing honours are listed.
Matthew Kreuzer Northern Knights, Vic, 199.5cm, 94.0kg, DOB 13/5/89
Dawson Simpson - Murray Bushrangers, Vic, 205.9cm, 104.9kg, 17/2/89
Ben McEvoy Murray Bushrangers, Vic, 200.2cm, 94.6kg, 11/7/89
Tom Bellchambers - Tassie Mariners, Tas, 200.7cm, 99.6kg, 9/6/89
Joel Smouha Mt Gravatt, Qld, 196.3cm, 82.1kg, 5/2/90
Dawson Simpson is definitely "Heavy D", and a team in the first couple of rounds has to be interested in drafting him. McEvoy and Bellchambers also pass the two metre mark for their measurements, but McEvoy is still probably a better player at centre half forward.
Kreuzer's measurements won't change where he is drafted, and by rounding up he does become a two metre ruckman. Smouha will probably be best as a tall defender, due to his height, but there will be teams that consider him in the draft as a very mobile ruckman.
The former captain of the Crows has talked about some of the things that are going wrong with the club. In some ways he is talking about an inmates running the asylum scenario, and he wants some of the Malcolm Blight traditions brought back. The success he had with the Crows cant be argued with.
The most successful era in the club's history came under a one-man rule. It was Malcolm Blight's way or the highway in 1997 and '98.
Jason Torney's dumping followed Ben Hart's and Matthew Clarke's in the past 12 months.
After a career-best year since returning home it made no sense.
The Torney delisting did surprise a lot of people. He was a very consistent player for the Crows in 2007.
For premiership success to return, Neil Craig must take back ownership of this team.
His future might just depend on it.
Coach Craig has gone downhill quickly, he was one of the better coaches in the AFL but is now a favourite for the first to be sent out in 2008.
Trading is another part of the game that Craig has not excelled at. The Crows didnt make enough trades in the past few years when they had the shot to win it all, and now they are not getting involved in trading when it looks like they need to rebuild.
The Saints are also going to be auctioning off this experience:
Stats box experience - get involved with the Saints stats team (must be over 18)
Not sure if looking through binoculars for three hours while saying handball 6, tackle 12, kick 22 is something worth paying a lot for but it would be a unique auction to win.
One thing that was not sold at auction was the AFL batmobile. With the 150 years of football being celebrated, it possibly could have made a comeback for the 2008 AFL Grand Final.
Up until the AFL draft, which occurs on November 24, updated mock drafts will be posted regularly. So check the spotlight posts area to see the newest mock draft. This mock draft uses the probable choices for the 2007 AFL draft, which is 71 picks at the moment. On November 14, players new to the AFL will have submitted their nominations. A couple of days later, teams submit their official list information to the AFL, both of those events will change around the possible draft picks.
1 Carlton
Matthew Kreuzer
Ruckman/Tall Forward. 199cm, 91kg. Northern/Bundoora
2 Richmond
Cale Morton
Tall Defender/Midfielder. 192cm, 75kg. Claremont
3 West Coast
Trent Cotchin
Midfielder. 184cm, 81kg. Northern/PEGS
4 Melbourne
Brad Ebert
Midfielder. 187cm, 86kg. Port Magpies/Henley
5 Western Bulldogs
Ben McEvoy
Tall Forward/Ruckman. 199cm, 90kg. Murray/Dederang-Mt Beauty
6 Essendon
Rhys Palmer
Midfielder/Small Forward. 180cm, 76kg. East Fremantle
7 Fremantle
David Myers
Midfielder/Medium Defender. 190cm, 85kg. Perth
8 Brisbane
Alex Rance
Tall Defender. 194cm, 87kg. Swan Districts FC
9 St Kilda
Lachlan Henderson
Tall Forward. 196cm, 90kg. Geelong/Geelong College
10 Adelaide
Chris Masten
Midfielder, 179cm, 78kg. East Fremantle
11 Sydney
David Gourdis
Tall Forward. 193cm, 88kg. Subiaco
12 Hawthorn
Tom Collier
Tall Defender/Midfielder. 192cm, 86kg. Lauderdale
13 West Coast
Cyril Rioli
Small Forward/Midfielder. 178cm, 74kg. St Mary's
14 Melbourne
Tayte Pears
Tall Defender. 192cm, 90kg. East Perth
15 Kangaroos
Jack Grimes
Midfielder. 187cm, 76. Northern/Hurstbridge
16 Port Adelaide
Levi Greenwood
Midfielder. 181cm, 91kg. Port Magpies/North Whyalla
17 Geelong
Scott Selwood.
Midfielder/Small Defender. 184cm, 81. Bendigo/Sandhurst
18 Richmond
Tom Bellchambers
Ruckman. 199cm, 91kg. Northern Bombers
19 Western Bulldogs
Steve Gaertner
Tall Forward. 196cm, 83kg. Dandenong/Edithvale-Aspendale
20 West Coast
Patrick McGinnity
Midfielder. 182cm, 75kg. Claremont
21 Melbourne
Patrick Veszpremi
Midfielder/Small Defender. 181cm, 83kg. Northern/Bundoora
22 West Coast
Dawson Simpson
Ruckman. 205cm, 97kg. Murray/Barnawartha
23 Essendon
Addam Maric
Small Forward/Midfielder. 179cm, 80kg. Calder/Greenvale
24 Fremantle
Tony Notte
Tall Forward. 194cm, 70kg. Swan Districts
25 Brisbane
Ashley Arrowsmith
Medium Forward/Midfielder. 188cm, 82kg. Calder/East Keilor
26 Sydney
Chris Kangars
Tall Defender/Midfielder. 193cm, 84kg. Geelong/Geelong Amateurs
27 Adelaide
Matthew De Boer
Midfielder. 185cm, 81kg. Claremont
28 Port Adelaide
Scott Simpson
Tall Forward. 194cm, 91kg. Dandenong/Mt Eliza
29 Hawthorn
Jarrad Grant
Tall Forward. 191cm, 77kg. Dandenong/Frankston Bombers
30 Adelaide
Tom McNamara
Medium Defender. 189cm, 84kg. South Adelaide/Happy Valley
31 Collingwood
Aaron Joseph
Midfielder. 178cm, 75kg. Glenorchy
32 Kangaroos
Marlon Motlop
Small Forward/Midfielder. 182cm, 76kg. Wanderers
33 Port Adelaide
Will Sullivan
Ruckman. 202cm, 95kg. Western/Werribee
34 Geelong
Dan McKenna
Tall Forward/Defender. 194cm, 82kg. Gippsland/Traralgon
35 Western Bulldogs
Patrick Dangerfield
Medium Defender/Midfielder. 188cm, 80kg. Geelong/Anglesea
36 Carlton
Matthew Lobbe
Tall Forward. 197cm, 80kg. Eastern/Monbulk
37 Kangaroos
Joel Smouha
Ruckman/Tall Defender. 196cm, 80kg. Mt Gravatt
38 Adelaide
Luke Sampey
Tall Forward. 191cm, 91kg. East Perth
82. Geelong - Adam Donohue (father/son)
Small Defender. 182cm, 82kg. Geelong/Grovedale
Possible comparison: He won't be kicking the amount of goals that his father did, although he did play as a forward before being switched to the back line with his Under 18 team. Donohue sort of replaces Callan on their list, and he might play a similar role for the Cats.
Why: The Cats won't be turning away many possible father/son picks, they won a Grand Final because of them. Even with the other AFL clubs bringing in "The Tom Hawkins Rule", of bidding for father/son picks, the Cats still found another son of a former gun. The Cats also have a need for a small defensive player, as that is a minor weakness on their list.
Selected at pick 82 in the 2006 AFL draft:
Aaron Edwards (Kangaroos, medium forward)
Possible comparison: For his position as a tall defender, he has cat-like quickness, like Michael Pettigrew of the Power does.
Why: The Power had a lot of draft picks a year ago, and made the most of them, but they won't be picking this late in the real AFL draft. Silvester would provide help for their back line, and they will need to find another big defender as Wakelin has retired. Silvester would have been on the same Under 18 team as Zac Dawson, right now it is Silvester who is more advanced as a player, and it is possible that he gets his chance at AFL level.
Worth a reach: Clayton Hinkley, he had very good results in the draft testing and the Power always keep a close watch on those numbers.
Hope they slide: Austin Wonaeamirri, the Power are a great destination for small forwards.
Selected at pick 81 in the 2006 AFL draft:
PASS (Carlton)
80. Kangaroos - Simon Starling
Small Defender. 181cm, 83kg. Claremont
Possible comparison: Not the famous artist called Simon Starling, this is an exciting and hard-working small defender from WA. Starling also has some athletic ability and could become a player a bit like Graham Johncock or Andrew Raines.
Why: The Kangaroos might have a spot for a small defender, Urch and Whyman are two smaller players that were recently delisted.
Worth a reach: Adam Iacobucci, the Kangaroos need to find a bit more midfield depth and Iacobucci would be a player who could help them next season.
Hope they slide: Joseph Daye, the Kangaroos do need a bit more help in the back line and Daye is a versatile player who could fill several needs.
Selected at pick 80 in the 2006 AFL draft:
James Thomson (West Coast, tall forward)
79. Collingwood - Jaxson Barham (father/son)
Midfielder. 181cm, 74kg. Geelong/Lorne
Possible comparison: He could be a similar steal to Marty Clarke, and bring the Magpies a lot of speed and energy to the middle of the ground.
Why: Collingwood is a super-club of the AFL and one of the reasons is the tradition that they keep going, with things like their jumper and also by using the father/son picks. Barham is the latest of many father/son picks in recent times. Collingwood have a number of bigger midfield options, so bringing in a smaller player will be beneficial for their list. Some added speed is also something they would have been looking for. In the real draft, the Magpies will use an earlier pick to take Barham, and an updated mock draft will be posted soon with the revised AFL draft order.
Selected at pick 79 in the 2006 AFL draft:
Jesse White (Sydney, tall forward)
78. West Coast - Haelen Kay
Midfielder/Medium Forward. 186cm, 75kg. Gippsland/DWWW Allies
Possible comparison: Not in the strength part of the game, at least not yet, but as a forward who is a good mark for his size he is similar to Aaron Hamill. Corey Jones is a more current comparison, as Kay is also a secondary marking option up forward but can also play towards the centre of the ground too.
Why: In the real draft, the Eagles will have packed up and gone home a long time before this pick. But a medium-sized forward could be on the list of players they need. With spots opening up in the middle, Embley may have to play there more so his time forward will be limited. While they also have LeCras and Staker they might think some more depth is needed and Kay could be a good choice, and he is also capable of playing as an outside midfielder.
Worth a reach: David Fanning, if the Eagles are after a backup ruckman for their list there are several to consider from the VFL.
Hope they slide: Austin Wonaeamirri, a small forward who provides plenty of energy, and he can also be played in other positions.
Selected at pick 78 in the 2006 AFL draft:
Bryce Campbell (Adelaide, midfielder)
77. Hawthorn - Thomas Rockliff
Small Forward. 182cm, 82kg. Murray
Possible comparison: He is small and kicks a lot of goals, a bit like Mark LeCras at the Eagles. Rockliff can also go into the action and get plenty of possessions, so there is some potential for him to play like Shannon Grant.
Why: Hawthorn probably don't have a pick this late in the draft, and the entire draft might be competed before this spot, but something Hawthorn will want to use a pick on during the draft is another small forward. Williams is coming back from injury and they need more than him to compliment their tall options near goal.
Worth a reach: Fortunato Caruso, he averaged around a goal per game in the VFL and also knows how to get the ball.
Hope they slide: Joseph Daye, they don't need a lot there but another tall defender is one of their minor needs.
Selected at pick 77 in the 2006 AFL draft:
Calib Mourish (Fremantle, medium forward)
76. Sydney - Austin Wonaeamirri
Small Forward/Small Defender. 182cm, 78kg. Norwood
Possible comparison: Most of his fans say Aaron Davey is a good comparison, that makes sense.
Why: A player who will provide a goal a game and some chasing as a small forward. Also was played at half back during his time with the Tiwi Bombers in Darwin football. The Swans can use some exciting play up forward around Hall and their other big forwards and there might even be a spot in the back line for a specialist small defender. Right now the Swans have a great group of versatile tall/medium players in the back half so maybe they need the variety that a small, speedy player could add.
Worth a reach: Tony Armstrong, he might be one of the few prospects from that state who isn't locked to a club in the scholarship program.
Hope they slide: James Polkinghorne, a midfielder that could step in for veterans like Kirk and Fosdike when they retire in a few years.
Selected at pick 76 in the 2006 AFL draft:
Paul O'Shea (Western Bulldogs, tall forward/defender)
Possible comparison: That's Hugh Sandilands, not "Huge Sandilands from Fremantle. Hugh is a mobile tall defender like Rivers at Melbourne and Sam Fisher at the Saints. While not a similar player, Hugh Sandilands has something in common with Chris Judd as they both were captain of the football team at Caulfield Grammar.
Why: The Crows are going to lose some of their taller defenders in the next few years and Sandilands has the attributes that many of their current players do, like Bassett and Massie he can play tall but also produce a lot of run from the back line.
Worth a reach: James Allan, had a big year in the SANFL.
Hope they slide: James Wundke, a tall player from SA, could be developed as a forward or ruckman.
Selected at pick 75 in the 2006 AFL draft:
PASS (Collingwood)
74. St Kilda - Cruize Garlett
Small Forward. 172cm, 70kg. Perth
Possible comparison: Way too small, but he doesn't think he is, so he could be more successful than someone like Simon Phillips was, Garlett has a bit more athleticism than the former Swan did.
Why: The Saints used to have some of the smallest players around, like Brett Bowey and Danny Craven, and they made a useful contribution. Their current list could also use a couple of smaller players that can go forward or have a run in the middle. Garlett would provide a different type of player for their forward line, although he would have to learn how to play a complimentary role and not get in the way of Riewoldt and Koschitzke by flying for marks against them.
Worth a reach: Bradley Smith, he kicked an enormous amount of goals in the WAFL, and the Saints do need that with Gehrig now retired, but Smith may not be interested.
Hope they slide: Trent Dennis-Lane, another possible pick that would push Milne to improve or push past him to play in the forward line.
Selected at pick 74 in the 2006 AFL draft:
Matthew Ferguson (St Kilda, medium defender)
There are a lot of talented footballers around who have not been identified and drafted by AFL clubs. There could be some future stars among the players below who just need a team to take a chance on them. Other players are ready to go with their second AFL team, and there have been plenty of success stories about recycling players.
Kepler Bradley wanted Fremantle and they wanted him, the Bombers decided it would not get done during trade week. Bradley is training with the Dockers now and there is a good chance that he continues to do that, and also play in more than a few games for them.
Melbourne have the makings of a VFL All-Star team with the players they have invited to train at the club, and while the Sandringham players make sense it is a surprise to see Alister Neville of Coburg on the list. He starred with Richmond's VFL affiliate and the Tigers should have been interested in drafting him.
The Tigers do know that they need help in the ruck and Lachlan McKinnon has a lot of size.
From the AFL, here is the list of players that are training at clubs with the hope of being drafted.
Adelaide - nil
Brisbane Lions - Patrick Garner (Brisbane Lions); William Hamill (Brisbane Lions rookie)
Carlton - Michael Shields (County Cork, Ireland)
Collingwood - Kevin Dyas (County Armagh, Ireland); Daniel Nichols (Collingwood rookie)
Hawthorn - James Allen (Box Hill Hawks); Luke Barker (Box Hills Hawks); Nathan Batsanis (Port Adelaide rookie); Brett Collins (Hawthorn rookie); Sam Gibson (Hawthorn rookie); Tom Langford (Port Melbourne); Ben Sharp (West Coast Eagles rookie); Callum Urch (Kangaroos)
Kangaroos - David Trotter (Kangaroos)
Melbourne - Daniel Hughes (Melbourne rookie); Alister Neville (Coburg); Ashley Sampi (West Coast); Jonathan Simpkin (Sydney); Peter Summers (Sandringham); Shane Valenti (Sandringham)
Port Adelaide - Jesse Aish (Norwood); Lachlan Button (Glenelg); Tom Carroll (South Adelaide); Ryan Darling (Sturt); Aaron Day (Glenelg); Sam Fairclough (Woodville West Torrens); Nathan Grima (Central Districts); Daniel Havelberg (Central Districts); Matthew Jaensch (Sturt); Luke Jarrad (Woodville West Torrens); Scott Luders (West Adelaide); Alan Obst (Central Districts); Steve Wenman (West Adelaide)
Richmond - Joe Gazzo (Coburg); Andrew Horne (Coburg); Cam Howat (Richmond rookie); Lachlan McKinnon (Essendon rookie); Carl Peterson (Richmond); Darren Pfeiffer (Adelaide); Jarrod Silvester (Coburg)
St Kilda - Rohan Bell (Mt Gravatt); Michael Barlow (Shepparton United); Ben Woods (Riverview)
Sydney - Brendan Murphy (County Carlow, Ireland); Matt O'Dwyer (Sydney); Jake Orreal (no previous club); Sam Rowe (Sydney)
West Coast - Ashley Thornton (West Coast Eagles rookie); Beau Wilkes (West Coast Eagles rookie)
Western Bulldogs - Cameron Lockwood (Williamstown); Scott Meyer (Williamstown); Liam Picken (Williamstown); Patrick Rose (Williamstown); Ryan Williams (La Trobe)
Here is a story from Fox Sports about the Power and their many unlisted players that they are trialling. Aish may end up at Power
Nothing is official in any of this, and although it is unlikely to happen here are some items that could be mentioned as clubs think about the prospect of adding Ben Cousins, if the opportunity does arise via the preseason draft.
Adelaide
They have not had anything to Crow about lately, and their coach might need to pull the proverbial rabbit out of his hat to get the club going again.
Brisbane
According to Jared Brennan, AFL players can walk around unnoticed in public up there which might be a good thing, another point is their coach has taken a risky gamble or two with player recruitment before and he has the trophies to show that he probably made the right decision to take the wrong type of person. The Lions may be the team that does try to draft him, if he is in the preseason draft.
Carlton
They have given players a second chance before, and it didn't work out too well, but this offseason they have been acquiring premiership midfielders and there is another one out there.
Collingwood
They missed out on Judd, so the other Eagle midfielder would be a lot cheaper to acquire, the coach at the Magpies is not a stranger to him either.
Essendon
Camporeale is going to be "teaching" them how to play, so anything is possible there. They should have kept the old guy around as the coach, it would have been his biggest ever reclamation project, or maybe second biggest because they did have The Doc.
Fremantle
They have not ruled it out completely, and if they wanted to annoy the big boys in town it would certainly accomplish that.
Geelong
The father played 67 games there, so there is a link.
Hawthorn
They are at the stage of being a young team that is close to contending but need to add a veteran or two that has done it before.
Kangaroos
They need crowds, they need publicity and hype, their prospective sponsors want to know that the Kangaroos are going to be getting attention. If they are not staying, they will be thinking that the Bears took Capper to the Gold Coast, so the Kangaroos need more than Todd Goldstein and Matt Riggio to excite the people up North.
Melbourne
At least he knows how to behave overseas and doesn't get into repeated fracas when he travels, so at Melbourne they could point to some positives of the potential drafting.
Port Adelaide
Maybe they were one player away from a Grand Final win, although looking at the final margin that one player needed to be very good.
Richmond
First pick in the preseason draft, that is supposed to be a very valuable asset, but the best player available might be Danny Meyer so the Tigers need to find someone better to select
St Kilda
Would the Saints really want a player with some baggage from the Eagles, it is enough baggage to fill a 747 but they have done it before.
Sydney
They have a window that is going to slam shut soon, and they need to win now because they will rapidly fall away when Hall, Kirk, Barry, Everitt, Fosdike, Mathews and O'Loughlin retire.
West Coast
They did have a chance to delist him already, but they have yet to do it officially.
Western Bulldogs
It would create some entertainment there, as well as bigger crowds and better TV ratings would also follow. They won't be contending next year so it would be something to take their minds off that.
73. Brisbane - James Wundke
Tall Forward/Ruckman. 196cm, 87kg. North Adelaide/Walkerville
Possible comparison: To some teams he would be a key position player, others might want him as a ruckman, and when he gets stronger he might be comparable to Paul Johnson or Wayde Skipper. A key forward spot would probably be the best spot for Wundke.
Why: The real draft might be finished by the time they get to this selection number, but for this mock there are still a few more picks to go. The Lions will be looking a few years ahead when Bradshaw and Beau McDonald are gone so another forward/ruckman on the list makes sense. Wundke could also be a project for the Lions to make into a tall defender, Wundke has some extra height compared to the players the Lions currently have in the back line.
Worth a reach: John Williams, a local prospect that could play in several positions.
Hope they slide: Ryan Normington, he is one of several players who the Lions could draft and develop for their midfield.
Selected at pick 73 in the 2006 AFL draft:
Andrew Collins (Richmond, small defender)
72. Fremantle - Trent Dennis-Lane
Small Forward. 181cm, 78kg. Subiaco
Possible comparison: A bit like Medhurst, as he can get on a roll and kick a bunch of goals.
Why: Farmer is not the most reliable player to have on a list, if they want a backup small forward then Dennis-Lane would be a good option in either the national draft or possibly the rookie draft. The Dockers delisted a number of players, and had some retire as well, so they may still be picking at this late stage of the real draft. They may also use their last pick to redraft one of the players they just delisted, and this is something they have done before.
Worth a reach: Jethro Calma-Holt, you can't find a better name than that, and he is also an exciting player.
Hope they slide: Ryan Hobbs, he could play in the back line there or go forward and be another tall target with Longmuir now retired.
Selected at pick 72 in the 2006 AFL draft:
PASS (Hawthorn)
71. Essendon - Joseph Daye
Tall Defender/Midfielder. 194cm, 79kg. Zillmere
Possible comparison: A taller running defender, like Andrejs Everitt but with less developed foot skills.
Why: The Bombers are going to be looking for tall defenders to put into their team when Michael and Fletcher retire. They also have a spot for an athletic, taller midfield project on their list, like Kepler Bradley might have been if he stayed. Daye would be a good pick for them, and coincidentally Daye would also like Essendon to select him.
Worth a reach: Zane Murphy, might add some strength to the middle or in a back pocket and they need some of that with Mark Johnson gone.
Hope they slide: Jackson Hall, a medium-sized defender prospect for the Bombers.
Selected at pick 71 in the 2006 AFL draft:
Justin Westhoff (Port Adelaide, tall forward)
70. Western Bulldogs - James Polkinghorne
Midfielder/Small Defender. 181cm, 82kg. Calder/Strathmore
Possible comparison: At AFL level he could be similar to Bentick and be a player that has a high number of tackles, as well as the ability to get possessions.
Why: A bit more strength for their midfield, which is often quick when they have the ball, but needs a bit more hardness and tackling ability. Polkinghorne, and new addition Tim Callan from Geelong, could provide some defensive accountability in the middle while players like Harbrow, Higgins, Cooney and Lynch are more attacking.
Worth a reach: Tim Walsh, this Tim Walsh is a tall defender from SA, and it would save the Bulldogs money as they already have that name on the locker there. They can also use another tall defensive prospect. The recently delisted Tim Walsh was a tall forward that the Western Bulldogs picked at number 4 in the 2002 AFL draft.
Hope they slide: Andy Otten, at some AFL teams he could play on the wing and at the Bulldogs he might become a centre half forward.
Selected at pick in the 2006 AFL draft:
Sam Sheldon (Brisbane, midfielder)
Possible comparison: A strong midfielder in the VFL but might be played as a back pocket in the AFL, could be a bit like Guerra is for the Hawks.
Why: There were times in 2007 when Sandringham might have been as good as the Demons, and this was in part due to the many injuries the Demons had, but another reason is the quality VFL-only players that Sandringham had on their list. Summers could be a small defender who can step into the Melbourne team and they may need that type of player with Brown retiring.
Worth a reach: Scott Thompson, the defender in the Geelong VFL team, not the former Melbourne player who is now with the Adelaide Crows.
Hope they slide: Shane Valenti, another Sandrigham player who might be in the AFL in 2008.
Selected at pick 69 in the 2006 AFL draft:
Ben Warren (Kangaroos, medium forward)
68. Carlton - Ryan Hobbs
Tall Forward/Tall Defender. 194cm, 89kg. North Ballarat/Harrow/Balmoral
Possible comparison: If he was being played by an actor in a movie, Robert Redford would make sense. There are also some things he seems to have in common with Mike Fitzpatrick. On the football field, he is similar to young Carlton players Austin and Hartlett, as he can be played at either end of the ground but is probably best as a centre half forward.
Why: Carlton fix their ruck spot at pick 1 and can then use several of their other picks on tall prospects for centre half forward, and other key positions. With Kennedy and Whitnall both gone, the Blues have a vacancy for a tall marking forward and Hobbs could be the answer for that position after a few years and some added bulk. If they choose to fill that spot by moving Waite forward, that would leave a tall defensive spot open, Hobbs could also be an option there too.
Worth a reach: Jason Cloke, you never know what they are doing there and they did draft a Cloke last year, Cameron Cloke via the preseason draft.
Hope they slide: Mitchell Farmer, he would like it if Carlton drafted him and he could bring some effort and skill to their back line.
Selected at pick 68 in the 2006 AFL draft:
PASS (Essendon)
Possible comparison: Should be a versatile player in the AFL, a bit like Nathan Lovett-Murray and able to play as a secondary marking player at either end of the ground or on the wing.
Why: Richmond could use a versatile athlete that can stay with taller players in the air and then match them with their running ability and Otten could become someone that can be used to contain players like Goodes. Richmond have used Raines in this role, against big forwards with good endurance, but while he competes he is undersized. Ottens could also be depth for Richmond in the tall defender position.
Worth a reach: Jarrod Silvester, a player from their VFL affiliate. Coburg had a great year, Richmond did not, it would make sense for the Tigers to consider drafting one or two players from there.
Hope they slide: David Ellard, the Tigers don't have Krakouer so there is a spot on their list for another small forward.
Selected at pick 67 in the 2006 AFL draft:
Joe Anderson (Carlton, medium defender)
66. Western Bulldogs - Tim Bongetti
Tall Forward. 191cm, 89kg. Northern/Greensborough
Possible comparison: A bit like Fergus Watts, who would also be a good pick at this spot if the Bulldogs are still selecting at this part of the real draft. Bongetti can play centre half forward but full forward is his best position.
Why: He is big and kicks goals, those two items are both on the Bulldogs' list of needs. He would only need to kick a couple of goals per game to be a big help to their forward line. Sometimes the simplest way of scouting can be the best, Bongetti has shown he can put a score on the board and after leading the TAC Cup in goals he is somewhat of a proven player when compared to some of the other taller or more athletic forward prospects. If the Bulldogs did draft Bongetti, it would also be beneficial to their new VFL team Williamstown as he could kick 100 goals at that level.
Worth a reach: Stefan Martin, a tall athletic project player.
Hope they slide: David Ellard, too often the Bulldogs want smalls that can play tall, Ellard would be someone who knows how to play as a real forward pocket and could be a good fit next to their new power forwards they should draft in the early rounds.
Selected at pick 66 in the 2006 AFL draft:
Malcolm Lynch (Western Bulldogs, small forward/midfielder)
65. Port Adelaide - Matthew Westhoff
Tall Forward. 197cm, 83kg. Central District
Possible comparison: A bit shorter than his brother, but still tall. Can also kick a large amount of goals with just limited opportunities.
Why: Port Adelaide have been rewarded by playing brothers. With Chad and Kane as well as Peter and Shaun. Drafting another Westhoff with a low pick, if they actually do have a pick here in the real draft, is a good idea with low risk and high reward. Obviously the Power would have a forward line with a lot of height but not enough bulk with the two Westhoffs, so they would want to combine them with a couple of stronger players. That isn't a problem with Tredrea there, but after he leaves they will need someone like Cockshell or White to give the Power a power forward.
Worth a reach: James Wundke, another tall prospect from South Australia, probably is used as a forward although he could also be developed as a tall defender.
Hope they slide: Dean Putt, a better ruck prospect than Willets and a better forward prospect than Deluca.
Selected at pick 65 in the 2006 AFL draft:
Peter Faulks (Sydney, tall forward)
64. Kangaroos - Jackson Hall
Medium Defender/Midfielder. 187cm, 76kg. Gippsland/Traralgon
Possible comparison: He can play loose around half back like Heath Scotland, getting a lot of the ball. Hall can also play as an effective defender on several types of players as well as on the wing.
Why: Hall should eventually become a midfielder in the AFL and the Kangaroos will need a bit of size there in the coming years. Early in his career, Hall could play in the back half and at the Kangaroos he would combine well with running players like Jesse Smith, Michael Firrito and Jess Sinclair. Archer was often a loose defender in 2007, that is a position that Hall would be an option for.
Worth a reach: Jake Spencer, a ruckman from Queensland with plenty of size. The Kangaroos do not have to draft a ruckman as they have that position under control, even though they traded Moran, but some extra depth is always a good idea.
Hope they slide: Ryan Normington, he could be a future replacement for Simpson in their midfield.
Selected at pick 64 in the 2006 AFL draft:
Nick Gill (Adelaide, tall forward)
63. Collingwood - David Ellard
Small Forward/Midfielder. 175cm, 72kg. Swan Districts
Possible comparison: Like Medhurst or Eagleton, a small forward who might also have the potential to play on the ball but is better when used closer to goals. Ellard has the potential to kick a lot of goals if he gets plenty of playing time up forward.
Why: In the real draft this could be where Barham goes as a father/son pick, the next mock will use the revised order so until then the Magpies will get Barham in the next round of this mock draft. The Magpies do have a number of small forwards that they play but there might be room for one more as Davis is spending more time in the middle. Ellard has played at senior level in the WAFL, and even if he lasts until the rookie draft there is a good possibility that he plays a few games of AFL in 2008.
Worth a reach: Tim Bongetti, while they do have Reid behind Rocca they could also use another tall forward on their list. Bongetti is an accurate kick for goal and can also take a contested mark.
Hope they slide: Mitchell Farmer, he plays the way a lot of their players do, with hustle and intensity.
Selected at pick 63 in the 2006 AFL draft:
Tyson Goldsack (Collingwood, tall defender)
62. Geelong - Callan Ward
183cm, 71kg. Small Forward/Midfielder. Western/Spotswood
Possible comparison: Travis Johnstone, has the skills and can get the stats but may not be the best when it comes to making the right decisions. Ward has played at half back as well as in the middle and has also shown some goal-scoring ability.
Why: Geelong will probably have finished drafting when this pick is up in the real draft, but until the official draft order is released they get another pick here. Ward would be good for the Geelong list as he could be a backup for several positions.
Worth a reach: Andy Otten, Geelong traded away several tall players and they can replace some of that height with Otten, although it might get confusing for some there with Otten and Ottens.
Hope they slide: Jarrhan Jacky, the Cats have the strength and skill in the middle and while they do have speed they could use a bit more of it in the middle of the ground, as Byrne or Varcoe are often forward while Wojcinski is often at half back.
Selected at pick 62 in the 2006 AFL draft:
Isack Weetra (Melbourne, small forward)
Princess Coup, number 23 in The Cup, has some of the Crows' colours.
Brisbane
White Lion Fever is racing at Kembla Grange, as is a horse called Lions And Dragons.
Carlton
Blue Monday, Horse 2 in The Cup, has the name but the colours are yellow and black.
Blue King is racing at Canberra.
Collingwood
Railings, number 5 in The Cup has the right colours.
Dane Empire, Race 3, Horse 3.
Essendon
Magic Jet, Horse number 5 in Race 10.
If the Bombers merged with the Magpies, the uniform might look a bit like Message Bank, Race 9, Horse 9.
Dons Fancy is racing at Echuca.
Fremantle
Bling Bling, a bit of purple in Race 3 with Horse 6.
Happy Farmer is at Mackay, which means the unhappy one is somewhere else.
Geelong
Just Scarlett might be the horse for Geelong, Race 2, Number 11.
Red Cat is at Morphetville, so is Gunner Tom.
Hawthorn
Barker Lad is racing at Morphetville.
Kangaroos
Race 4, a lot of blue and white stripes with Molly's Folly and Myalansky.
Laidley is at Echuca. Race 3, Horse 4, Laidley. Unlike the snarling coach, this one might win.
Melbourne
The don't mark the ball too well, Hands Of Stone is a horse at Echuca.
Port Adelaide
Blahnik has a good lightning bolt, Race 8, Horse 6.
Power City is racing at Mackay.
Richmond
Kingsley is a horse at Mackay.
St Kilda
Always plenty of horses with their colours, like Mixxer in race 4 and Schumpeter in race 3.
Sydney
Morphetville has a horse called Sydney City.
Cresswell, the horse, is at Canberra.
Get Up Jude is racing at Kembla Grange.
West Coast
Maybe funny to some, Horse 10 in Race 9.
Stormy Hunter is at Echuca, it will start back and then go forward later for the win.
Western Bulldogs
Two Dogs is one horse at Mackay.
Walking Street is hopefully running at Kembla Grange.
The umpires again have a horse for them, at Echuca. Race 5, Horse 1, Blind.
Now the best for last, although it will be in first. If you were a Melbourne footballer you would have already backed it. Race 7 from Mackay, horse number 3, Delisted.
61. Hawthorn - Ryan Normington
Midfielder/Medium Forward. 186cm, 76kg. Murray/Shepparton United
Possible comparison: He is one of those players that can probably be played anywhere, a bit like Grigg was last year. Carlton still haven't figured out where Grigg plays, and Normington's AFL team will want to pick a preferred spot for him to play. Normington is probably at his best in the middle but he won't start there in the AFL. Maybe a spot around half forward where he can also go for a run up the ground might be where he plays next season.
Why: If Hawthorn are still selecting at this part of the draft they can add someone that can fill a few roles for them, which is good for the depth of their list.
Worth a reach: Andy Otten, he might be developed as a tall defender if the Hawks take him. Although Hawthorn will probably have addressed that need with their first round or second round pick.
Hope they slide: Peter Rolfe, a small player and they need someone like that to give their forward line a bit more variety.
Selected at pick 61 in the 2006 AFL draft:
Josh Hill (Western Bulldogs, midfielder)
60. Sydney - Craig Bird (NSW scholarship player)
Midfielder. 178cm, 76kg. Nelson Bay
Possible comparison: Just pick any of their premiership onballers and he has a similarity to them. He works hard like Kirk, he can be an accountable player like Ablett, like Fosdike he knows what to do when he has the ball, and like J Bolton he has the ball a lot. Bird could be the Joel Selwood of 2008.
Why: This is a steal, at whatever pick they officially get him at, as he would go a lot higher if he was available to all teams. The Swans get a player who knows how to play in the middle and is reliable with his kicking, and will set up plenty of goals for Hall and their other forwards.
Selected at pick 60 in the 2006 AFL draft:
Carl Peterson (Richmond, midfielder)
59. Adelaide - Taylor Walker (NSW scholarship player)
Medium Forward. 190cm, 82kg. North Broken Hill
Possible comparison: He leads out and marks the ball, then goes back and kicks it, so a bit like Scott Welsh. But Walker might become a more dangerous player as he seems to be able to also break tackles and win the ball at ground level too.
Why: The Crows can't kick goals, and that is what Walker can do. In the real draft, Walker may go at this pick or possibly the Crows' selection in the next round. Adelaide are very lucky to get Walker, and they have to thank their scouts for judging the NSW talent correctly, although it isn't that difficult as the best prospects from there at the moment have a last name that starts with W.
Selected at pick 59 in the 2006 AFL draft:
Jarryd Allen (St Kilda, tall forward/defender)
58. St Kilda - Dean Putt
Ruckman/Tall Forward. 202cm, 88kg. Calder/Woodend
Possible comparison: If the Saints do draft him he will be taking over the spot on the list that Brooks had as a forward/ruckman. Brooks was more of a forward when he was with the Saints, and one of the reasons that he isn't there now could be that he never improved as a ruckman, and Putt would also be a player who could play forward earlier in his career and then, hopefully for the Saints, become a ruckman later.
Why: They do need to plan for the future, just as M Clarke disappeared after one season they won't have M Gardiner and King for much longer. The Saints also lost several big forwards and they could put Putt close to goals as well as developing him as a ruckman.
Worth a reach: David Ellard, they are not going to win with Milne as their only small forward.
Hope they slide: Shane Valenti, the Saints are in a position to contend next season and drafting someone who is a bit older and is ready to play in 2008 could be a good idea.
Selected at pick 58 in the 2006 AFL draft:
Daniel Connors (Richmond, midfielder/small forward)
How they play, their stats, measurements and draft testing all impact on where a player is drafted.
Something less important, the anagrams that can be made with the letters of the players' names.
Cale Morton - Monte Carlo
The anagram winner.
Patrick Dangerfield - Replace Drafting Kid
Some clubs need to change who chooses their picks.
Brad Ebert - Drab Beret
Or a green one.
Alex Rance - Lance Axer
That does describe Ratten, but Rance won't get picked by Carlton.
Chris Masten - Marsh Insect
Could be a pest for the teams that don't draft him.
Lachlan Henderson - He Channels Arnold
Hopefully that is about Schwarzenegger, and not Arnold Jackson.
Matthew De Boer - The Debate Worm
An odd anagram, topical at the moment, but still odd.
Steven Browne - Never Won Bets
A reason not to gamble.
Levi Greenwood - One Gold Review
Gold is good.
Steven Gaertner - Never Test Range
Not the longest kick.
Closer to the draft, many other prospects will have an anagram found for them. There are times when they do make sense as Nathan Eagleton is The Goal Antenna, although the anagram for Ben Cousins is Bounciness and the letters in Lewis Roberts-Thomson can be rearranged to say Lobster Hits News-Room.
57. Brisbane - Peter Rolfe
Small Forward/Midfielder. 181cm, 73kg. South Adelaide
Possible comparison: Maybe a bit like Scott McMahon of the Kangaroos, as he is an underrated player in the forward line and is a much stronger mark than would be expected.
Why: Except for maybe another tall defender, the Lions have plenty of depth among the taller positions. So grabbing an exciting small or two for the midfield and forward line, with their later picks, could help with team balance. Rolfe would provide quality passes to Brown and could also kick a few goals himself.
Worth a reach: Peter Summers, they could draft an older player like Summers from the VFL and he would be able to contribute in 2008, there is room on their list for smaller players as they did delist Fixter and Allan.
Hope they slide: Shane Valenti, another player who would be expected to get a look at the AFL after a big season in the VFL.
Selected at pick 57 in the 2006 AFL draft:
Simon Hogan (Geelong, midfielder/small forward)
56. Fremantle - Jared Petrenko
Midfielder. 176cm, 75kg. Eagles/Portland
Possible comparison: A player like Matthew Campbell or Ben McGlynn who can add a bit of hustle to the team, often in a burst off the bench.
Why: He is a midfield type who can also be used in the back line too. A smaller player but a good tackler. The Dockers need to add some speed and also players who want to chase their opponents. Petrenko has also been used in the forward line, so he should fill a need at whatever club drafts him.
Worth a reach: Ryan Hobbs, he would be the natural pick for them if they wanted a bigger forward to add to their list with Longmuir retiring.
Hope they slide: Robbie Tarrant, that would be interesting.
Selected at pick 56 in the 2006 AFL draft:
Garry Moss (Hawthorn, midfielder)
Possible comparison: A bit like Foley and King at Richmond, small but effective.
Why: The Bombers should be able to find a quality player or two from the VFL, as that is where Knights coached last season. Talent scouts didn't need to put in much effort to see what Valenti could do as he was one of the best in the VFL. Valenti could add a bit of hustle to their midfield and might also be an option up forward. He averaged close to one goal per game in the VFL last season.
Worth a reach: Andy Otten, he would seem to be a versatile Sheedy type of player that can be moved around into different parts of the ground, the problem is that Sheedy isn't there now.
Hope they slide: David Hill, it would certainly be interesting when Knights calls out to his ruckman to have a talk as he might not get the one he wants, but Essendon do need to add another ruckman to their list and Hill has a lot of physical ability.
Selected at pick 55 in the 2006 AFL draft:
Robert Gray (Port Adelaide, small forward)
54. West Coast - Jarrhan Jacky
Small Forward/Midfielder. 180cm, 71kg. Subiaco
Possible comparison: He might be able to play in a similar way to Rhan Hooper, scoring a goal or two per game as a forward pocket but also able to use his speed in the space along the wing too.
Why: West Coast probably do not have this pick in the real draft, as they have a number of earlier picks to use and have delisted very few players, but until the AFL releases the actual draft order they get a pick here in this mock draft, that way a few more prospects can be looked at. The Eagles will want to add a bit of dash and Jacky is a speedy smaller player. If the Eagles did select him they would probably use him exclusively as a forward pocket, they have been looking for some variety next to Big Q close to goals.
Worth a reach: David Ellard, a small forward who has already played in the WAFL.
Hope they slide: Tristan Cartledge, a player like him would be insurance against an injury to Seaby. Nothing would save them if Cox was hurt, although Seaby was good when Cox missed games in 2007, but they do need another backup ruckman with some size.
Selected at pick 54 in the 2006 AFL draft:
Matt Tyler (Brisbane, tall forward)
53. Melbourne - Mitchell Farmer
Small Defender/Midfielder. 179cm, 76kg. Calder/Craigieburn
Possible comparison: He is a hustling player, like James McDonald. Might be better in the back line but can also play in the middle. Farmer also brings some leadership qualities and often steps up his game when it is a bigger occasion.
Why: The Demons need help everywhere and Farmer has played in most positions. Farmer could play on the small forwards and also could be an option in the middle to tag players as the Demons did release Godfrey.
Worth a reach: Callan Ward, similar in size to Farmer and a better pick if they want a more attacking player who can kick some goals as well as play in the middle, although Farmer did have a few games when he kicked some goals.
Hope they slide: Matthew Lobbe, the Demons are planning to be contending in a few years and they can afford to be patient with a player that needs a few years to get bigger.
Selected at pick 53 in the 2006 AFL draft:
Lindsay Thomas (Kangaroos, small forward)
Possible comparison: An athletic player with a burst of speed, if he starts as a defender he could play like Raines does, taking on players and providing some excitement.
Why: Queensland football had a big 2006, in the draft and also the Under 18 titles, and there is also plenty of talent available from there again. The Lions may be able to rookie list several of the Queensland players mentioned in this mock draft, but if they really want some of them they might want to use a pick in the national draft to make sure they get them. Whitecross would add depth to their midfield and might also find a starting spot for them as a small defender.
Worth a reach: Ryan Normington, he might play as a midfielder in the AFL and his size for that position is something that Brisbane have said they are looking for.
Hope they slide: Alister Neville, the Lions are playing to win now and if they take Neville they will get a player who can contribute in 2008.
Selected at pick 52 in the 2006 AFL draft:
Brock O'Brien (Fremantle, midfielder)
51. Richmond - David Hill
Ruckman. 202cm, 85kg. Zillmere
Possible comparison: Shaun Hampson was a similar tall athlete who was drafted from Queensland a year ago. Hampson did go a lot earlier in the draft than Hill will.
Why: Gives them a project to develop, he is tall and can jump so some of the pieces are already in place. The Tigers had neglected the ruck spot, and because of injuries there were times when Shane Tuck was going for the hitouts. Knobel is gone but Graham was promoted, their main two ruckmen are Simmonds and Pattison. They will want to add at least one more ruckman, and at this part of the draft there will be a couple to choose from Queensland as well as several from the TAC Cup and possibly the VFL.
Worth a reach: Peter Rolfe, he can play as a small forward or an outside midfielder and the Tigers could use another player like that, especially in a forward pocket.
Hope they slide: Alister Neville, it is always a success story when a player goes to the AFL from their VFL affiliate, Neville would give them a bigger body for the middle.
Selected at pick 51 in the 2006 AFL draft:
Clinton Benjamin (Carlton, midfielder/medium defender)
Possible comparison: A better player than he was at Essendon. Cartledge was a solid ruckman at VFL level and also discovered some goal-kicking ability. He should be able to fill a backup role for the Cats, like Paul Johnson does at Melbourne and Maric does for the Crows, if injuries hit Geelong's other ruckmen.
Why: They do need to have a bit more ruck depth, Cartledge was delisted by the Bombers and then had a very good season for North Ballarat in the VFL and he could be an interesting selection at pick 50 for Geelong. With King gone, the Cats don't have an experienced third ruckman to turn to if injuries hit. While West is a good prospect, the Cats do need a lot more depth in the ruck and Cartledge would provide that.
Worth a reach: Ryan Normington, he can play in several positions and a player like that is always useful as it gives the coach a lot of options when picking their team.
Hope they slide: Alister Neville, Geelong were very lucky when it came to injuries and their depth wasn't really tested in 2007, if they picked up Neville it would mean they drafted a player that is ready to play if needed.
Selected at pick 50 in the 2006 AFL draft:
Will Schofield (West Coast, tall forward)
Nothing is being suggested here, but if the "Gold Coast Rollers" enter the AFL in a few years it will cause something else to happen. More than a decade ago, the impending arrival to the AFL of Port Adelaide had fans of North Melbourne figuring out how they would go with Primus in the ruck, Chris Johnson in a forward pocket and Brad Boyd in the middle. That didn't happen, as the Lions went North instead of joining North.
Here are a couple of AFL teams, one with skilful smalls and the other with impressive talls. It could be a future super team. It won't happen, but here is a merged team of Bulldogs and Kangaroos who could take to the field in 2010, the numbers included are the approximate ages of the players at that time. The team would be even better, as they would also add a number of first round picks in the coming years.
FB L Gilbee 29, M Firrito 26, R Griffen 24
HB J Smith 23, T Williams 24, A Everitt 21
C D Wells 25, D Cross 27, A Cooney 24
HF R Murphy 28, D Hale 26, D Giansiracusa 29
FF S Higgins 25, D Petrie 27, C Jones 29
Foll H McIntosh 25, D Harris 28, M Boyd 27
bench W Minson 25, L Hansen 21, A Swallow 23, R Hargrave 29
Possible comparison: He has been watched by AFL scouts for at least 4 years, and a lot of that has to do with who his brother is. Like Chris, he will get plenty of marks and for every goal he kicks he will get a behind. Is a tad taller than his brother.
Why: The Power need to find one or two big forwards who can join Westhoff as the Power's forward line of the future. Tarrant would be a stronger forward and that could compliment what Westhoff does. Tarrant has been injured a lot, with knee and shoulder problems, and a team that doesn't need immediate help might be a good spot for him and at the Power he could develop in the SANFL and then replace Tredrea when he retires.
Worth a reach: Shane Valenti, the Power went with Rodan a year ago after he played mostly in the VFL, with Valenti they would be drafting one of the best players currently in the VFL.
Hope they slide: Dayne Zorko, a good replacement for Mahoney on their list.
Selected at pick 49 in the 2006 AFL draft:
Daniel Currie (Sydney, ruckman)
48. Western Bulldogs - Matthew Lobbe
Tall Forward. 197cm, 80kg. Eastern/Monbulk
Possible comparison: Similar to Kepler Bradley, as he is a very long player who could be in between positions. Lobbe would probably be a centre half forward, but he could be tried in the ruck or maybe as a defender.
Why: Not the first time that anyone has mentioned this, they need height. Lobbe might help them around half forward in 2008, even though he is rather thin. A new forward structure at the Bulldogs could have Minson in the forward 50, Minson would provide the strong target while Lobbe could lead into space as a secondary target.
Worth a reach: Dean Putt, he would bring more height and while he might be more of a ruckman, with his build and mobility, than a key forward he can kick goals when played near goals.
Hope they slide: Steven Browne, if the Bulldogs have used their previous picks on tall players then they might add a smaller prospect here.
Selected at pick 48 in the 2006 AFL draft:
David MacKay (Adelaide, midfielder)
Possible comparison: If he does get the chance to play AFL he might be used like Sewell and L Ablett are, playing as an accountable midfielder but also able to get a useful number of possessions too.
Why: He is young enough that he can have a long AFL career, but he is also a player who can play right away and that might be a good move for Collingwood as Buckley and Licuria have vacated their midfield spots there. Neville could be someone who is assigned defensive tasks in the middle, or he could be played in the back line at AFL level. As a defender he would be very mobile and would be a good option on players like Corey Jones and Ryan O'Keefe who can play close to goals or in the middle of the ground. While he should get a number of AFL games next season, at Collingwood he would also be useful to their new VFL side due to his experience playing in the VFL with Coburg.
Worth a reach: Mitchell Farmer, a smaller and younger option than Neville if the Magpies want a tagger or back pocket.
Hope they slide: Andrew Renton, the Magpies did bring in a ruckman for now when they traded for Wood but there is still room on their list for a young ruckman to develop.
Selected at pick 47 in the 2006 AFL draft:
Kyle Reimers (Essendon, small forward/midfielder)
46. Carlton - Steven Browne
Midfielder/Small Defender. 181cm, 74kg. West Perth
Possible comparison: He has been used as a midfielder in the WAFL but Browne probably starts his AFL career in a back pocket, and he could play like Roger Hayden or Jed Adcock. Later in his career it would be expected that he would move more into the middle.
Why: They might have a spot open for a small back pocket player. Too often they have Thornton, Bower or other taller defenders overusing the ball, a smaller player with better skills could decrease their turnovers.
Worth a reach: Robbie Tarrant, they might need another big body for the forward line, he would be an option for centre half forward.
Hope they slide: Dayne Zorko, it is very possible he is still available at this pick and he could be very useful for them in a forward pocket, they have Betts but they need a bit more.
Selected at pick 46 in the 2006 AFL draft:
Colin Garland (Melbourne, tall forward)
* Starting around this part of the real draft, some teams will already have finished making their selections. Others may have used picks on their NSW scholarship players, Adelaide and Sydney have definitely said they will, the Eagles are reported to be taking a player as a rookie and a few other teams like the Kangaroos may also be drafting NSW players. Delisted AFL players will also start being taken around here.
As the AFL have yet to release an official revised draft order, for this mock it will just continue with the picks in the order from after trade week, and without the AFL delisted players. They will be added to the updated mock that will follow this one.
45. Hawthorn - Jay Bowden
Midfielder/Medium Forward. 184cm, 74kg. Glenorchy
Possible comparison: A player who can go forward like R O'Keefe does at Sydney, although Bowden is a bit smaller, and also get a large amount of possessions when played closer to the middle.
Why: He is a versatile player, as the Hawks don't have any specific need they can take Bowden knowing it adds depth to several spots. He has played as an outside midfielder and a leading forward and could probably handle the back pocket if needed too.
Worth a reach: David Ellard, if the Hawks want another small forward for their list they can look to WA which should provide several players like that in the draft.
Hope they slide: James Mulligan, the Hawks have a very effective forward line but in a few years Mulligan could add another huge target.
Selected at pick 45 in the 2006 AFL draft:
Brennan Stack (Western Bulldogs, midfielder)
44. Geelong - Darin Stewart
Tall Defender/Forward. 191cm, 87kg. Broadbeach
Possible comparison: He might be a prospect who follows what Luke McGuane did, first being tried as a forward but then being turned into a defensive player.
Why: The Cats traded away and delisted a number of bigger players, Stewart would give them a player to develop as a tall defender. He might also become a marking player around half forward, sort of a secondary centre half forward who leads long through the middle of the ground.
Worth a reach: Matthew Lobbe, the Cats could give him a few years in the VFL as they don't need anything from their draft picks next year and Lobbe needs to get a bit bigger too.
Hope they slide: Patrick Dangerfield, he will be on their draft wish list.
Selected at pick 44 in the 2006 AFL draft:
Brad Dick (Collingwood, small forward/midfielder)
43. Western Bulldogs - Patrick Dangerfield
Midfielder/Medium Defender. 188cm, 80kg. Geelong/Anglesea
Possible comparison: Someone like Nick Malceski, who started his career in the back line and then started to have a lot of the ball before moving more into the middle could be a player's career path that Dangerfield could replicate.
Why: Possibly some size for the midfield, or a running defender to do some of the things that McMahon did for them. The Bulldogs are also without Power and Faulkner so adding a player of a similar size would be good for their list. In some ways, Dangerfield and the Bulldogs are a great fit, as the Bulldogs do not get any respect. The Bulldogs do need to go back to school with their recruiting.
Worth a reach: Jay Bowden, another versatile player, and the Bulldogs should not be worried about his last name.
Hope they slide: Luke Sampey, the Bulldogs should have already drafted a few tall forwards by the time they get to this pick but another would be useful.
Selected at pick 43 in the 2006 AFL draft:
Tim Houlihan (West Coast, medium forward)
42. St Kilda - Ashley Hockey
Midfielder/Small Defender. 181cm, 78kg. Murray/Mooroopna
Possible comparison: Baker without the reports, or maybe Birss with a few more possessions per game.
Why: They probably go big with their early pick, and they will want to add midfield depth with a few later picks. Hockey could find some playing time there as a back pocket as well as in the middle. Thompson retired, Harvey isn't young, Schneider might be more useful as a forward, Armitage and Howard didn't do a lot in 2007, the Saints have a spot open for another midfield prospect.
Worth a reach: Matthew Lobbe, a forward/ruck prospect who could be the third tall forward for the Saints in a few years, although with Allen on their list they might think Lobbe is too similar of a prospect.
Hope they slide: Luke Sampey, the Saints will want a tall forward at this pick if they have not used their first rounder on that type of player. With Gehrig and Watts both gone, the Saints need a leading player working out of the goal-square.
Selected at pick 42 in the 2006 AFL draft:
Bachar Houli (Essendon, midfielder)
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