2023 Draft Watch

[GVGjr]

Re: 2023 Draft Watch

G has your opinion of the Wizard Watson changed over the last month or so.
It seems he has struggled a tad....? Love your insight.

One thing that might work against him is that teams typically like to see players finish the season strongly and Watson hasn't quite done that. He's a terrific player and reads the play so well but for some reason he didn't perform that well in the last month where he played higher up the ground and on occasions on the wing and his goal kicking isn't as good as I seem to recall during the championship.
It's almost like he has the yips but that makes it sound worse than it probably is. Early in the game yesterday he led out strongly and took a strong grab in the air but missed his shot. He then missed another but got one on a tight angle. For most of the 2nd half he didn't do a lot.

At a guess I'd say he is likely to slide down the order just a bit but clubs should go hard at getting him because he is such a talent.
He might be close to pick 10 now than pick 5 but clubs with early picks will find it hard to pass him over.

[mjp]

Re: 2023 Draft Watch

At a guess I'd say he is likely to slide down the order just a bit but clubs should go hard at getting him because he is such a talent.
He might be close to pick 10 now than pick 5 but clubs with early picks will find it hard to pass him over.

When you watch his highlights from the VM/WA game he is playing on Hine-Basten who is a nice player, very quick and agile and tied to WCE via NGA. They are from all reports going to take him...he's an ideal modern, running defender. And that day, he just couldn't go with Watson.

So Watson has the high end and has done it against the best players in the country. The challenge for the kid now is that to make it as a PURELY small forward is a REAL challenge...it means adding to your game and learning 'tricks' and having a game-day focus that isn't scoring/score-assisting. It's different. So what happens is you go and try that and it isn't as easy as others seem to make it appear and all of a sudden those half-backs who you were dominating when the game was on YOUR terms now have it on their terms...and just like you are good at what YOU do, they are equally good at what THEY do.

Think about a player like Bailey Dale. When he is forced to defend, he is solid enough but is beaten to the ball and concedes a goal or two...if he has the ball in handing running across half back towards the wing, he is an altogether different proposition. As Watson has moved upfield he has gone from dealing with oppo on his terms to having to spend time dealing with things on THEIR terms. And the oppo do their homework (yes they do) and they plan to get him higher, get a ball user on him, go through his opponent. And HIS forwards coach challenges him (as he should) to meet the challenge, to get outside his opponent, to take away his receiving lanes...

The game can go from simple to complicated in a heart-beat (just ask anyone who played for Melbourne on Friday night).

Watson will be fine is the ultimate answer to the question...but everyone is coming for him right now and Sandy will be coming for him this week. Let's see what happens.

[The Bulldogs Bite]

Re: 2023 Draft Watch

Watson seems the type of pick where you'd like to get as a second option. By that, I mean you'd like two bites at the top 10 and to take him with one of them.

It's probably a big risk to take a guy around 170cms in the top 10 who likely is confined to the small forward role, but isn't exactly Cyril Rioli in his ability to impact the game as well defensively as he does offensively.

Clearly has a ton of talent and I wouldn't be upset if we picked him.

[Mofra]

Re: 2023 Draft Watch

Watson or Rachele same age??

Rachele simply because he's always had a more 'defined' role.

Ignoring home-sickness of course. And I love Watson

[Bornadog]

Re: 2023 Draft Watch

Callum Twomey reports:

Ryley Sanders has been approved to be a member of North Melbourne?s Next Generation Academy. The AFL released an updated list of the eligible NGA players to clubs today.This is not linked to a decision on any priority access on him or not.

What a joke Sanders hasn't even attended the academy

[GVGjr]

Re: 2023 Draft Watch

Callum Twomey reports:

Ryley Sanders has been approved to be a member of North Melbourne?s Next Generation Academy. The AFL released an updated list of the eligible NGA players to clubs today.


This is not linked to a decision on any priority access on him or not.

That was always going to happen but Cal is also indicating that they're unlikely to get access too him outside of the NGA eligibility.

[Bornadog]

Re: 2023 Draft Watch

That was always going to happen but Cal is also indicating that they're unlikely to get access too him outside of the NGA eligibility.

so they have to match inside 40?

[GVGjr]

Re: 2023 Draft Watch

so they have to match inside 40?

No, as I understand it they can only match a bid outside of pick 40 for NGA players

Of course there is talk that they will be given pick 11 and they might be hoping that he is still available then,

[Axe Man]

Re: 2023 Draft Watch

No, as I understand it they can only match a bid outside of pick 40 for NGA players

Of course there is talk that they will be given pick 11 and they might be hoping that he is still available then,

That's correct but no chance he's available at pick 11. However if they are allowed to trade up with pick 11 they could end up with picks 2,3,4 and can take him then if they want.

[mjp]

Re: 2023 Draft Watch

No, as I understand it they can only match a bid outside of pick 40 for NGA players

Of course there is talk that they will be given pick 11 and they might be hoping that he is still available then,

Something is DEFINITELY up.

They know they wont have access but they are fighting to have him declared part of their academy. Why would it matter since he wont get past pick 40. I'm actually a bit underwhelmed by him as a top 10 prospect - he's a mid, I've seen 'em - but North seem to be protesting WAY too much given the circumstances.

Something is afoot and this was phase 1.

[Grantysghost]

Re: 2023 Draft Watch

Something is DEFINITELY up.

They know they wont have access but they are fighting to have him declared part of their academy. Why would it matter since he wont get past pick 40. I'm actually a bit underwhelmed by him as a top 10 prospect - he's a mid, I've seen 'em - but North seem to be protesting WAY too much given the circumstances.

Something is afoot and this was phase 1.

Yep they're manoeuvring this around so they can grab him

[bulldogtragic]

Re: 2023 Draft Watch

Something is DEFINITELY up.

They know they wont have access but they are fighting to have him declared part of their academy. Why would it matter since he wont get past pick 40. I'm actually a bit underwhelmed by him as a top 10 prospect - he's a mid, I've seen 'em - but North seem to be protesting WAY too much given the circumstances.

Something is afoot and this was phase 1.

Yep. I don’t quite get what’s going on, but something is definitely going on. The best I can come up with is this gives the AFEL some flexibility in how it wants to hand over more charity. If Pick 11 sets off a firestorm with clubs, maybe then the AFEL says fine we will just let them match the bid not give them the draft points/picks to reshape pick 1 or the top 10. For instance, say we jumped up and down with Melbourne and others in the fight for pick 4. Then the AFEL say that they’re compensating Noryh, which one, pick 11 or allowing a bid on Sanders?

Perhaps it’s just wiggle room. If for argument sake Sanders was pick 7. They get 7 instead of 11 which doesn’t impact the clubs after 11 as they’re all still shuffled down one. It will mildly annoy the club who bids and fails on him. But it won’t allow them to arbitrarily use it to buy pick 1 or pick 4. So maybe as far as contaminating the order of the top 10 too much, allowing Sanders to have an exemption to bidding rules protects the top 10 while handing one top 10 player over.

Maybe, if you really distrust the AFEL, they leaked the pick 11 stuff knowing it could upset a few clubs and their compromise all along was giving them Sanders. Hence the decision today.

But it’s all conjecture. It doesn’t make any real sense. Other than that allowing a once off bid anywhere on Sanders can be done now he’s in their NGA. One more tweak and they can do it. I for one hope they do and Pick 4 ends up with us.

[bulldogtragic]

Re: 2023 Draft Watch

Allowing an ?early matched bid? sounds like less charity than Pick 11. Even though it?s not. That?s very on brand for their messaging style. They didn?t hand a direct top 11 pick over, they just tweaked a rule as a once off. It?s a better precedent than a top 11 pick as a priority pick too. Most people won?t really pay that much attention to the finer points. If being NGA has him sliding a few spots it?s then negligible difference.

[GVGjr]

Re: 2023 Draft Watch

If we assume North have picks 2, 3, 11 and 14 that puts them in play to trade with West Coast for pick 1 and GC for pick 4.

They could end up getting Reid at 1 and Sanders at 4. If you assume Reid goes at one and Curtin at 2 then GC would be happy that Walter goes later in the draft perhaps at pick 5.

[kruder]

Re: 2023 Draft Watch

If we assume North have picks 2, 3, 11 and 14 that puts them in play to trade with West Coast for pick 1 and GC for pick 4.

They could end up getting Reid at 1 and Sanders at 4. If you assume Reid goes at one and Curtin at 2 then GC would be happy that Walter goes later in the draft perhaps at pick 5.

Yeah 11 could really hurt our chances to get 4, fingers crossed! I still think North need to look further than just mids with all these pics.