2024 Draft Watch

[Stevo]

Re: 2024 Draft Watch

Pick 29. (West Coast) – Harry O’Farrell
Calder Cannons/Vic Metro– DEF, 197cm

O’Farrell reads the play exceptionally in the air and at ground level for a key defender, which makes him desirable as a versatile option at the next level.

With a strong understanding of defensive craft, O’Farrell is able to compete well one-on-one and push himself to get from contest to contest inside defensive 50.

Pick 30. (Brisbane) – Sam Marshall
Sandringham Dragons/Queensland– FWD/DEF, 180cm

Picks Given: 44,50

Marshall’s accumulation is an underrated trait of his game, able to inflict damage in small spurts with a running capacity that is well suited to the outside game at the next level.

With sharp kicking skills and an endurance base that produces consistent two-way running efforts, Marshall adds to the Lions hopes of maintaining a cycle of success.

Pick 31. (Port Adelaide) – Jasper Alger
Oakleigh Chargers/Vic Country – FWD, 183cm

An excellent mark overhead for a small forward, Alger is a flexible weapon that can punish with his work-rate, get into good spots and hit the scoreboard.

Pick 32. (Fremantle) – Josh Dolan
Sandringham Dragons/Vic Metro – MID/FWD, 177cm

Dolan’s smarts as a high half-forward make him dangerous, possessing creative running patterns and sharp kicking inside 50 that set up scoring shots.

Pick 33. (St Kilda) – Adrian Cole
Sandringham Dragons/Vic Metro – DEF, 194cm

It’s likely the Saints will split picks down the order and won’t take either NGA prospects with this pick or pick 44, however, they will likely land Cole and Lennox Hoffman.

Cole has become one of the best lockdown defenders of the draft class, able to physically outwork his opponents aerially and bring the ball to ground, however, isn’t a big accumulator of the footy.

Pick 34. (Hawthorn) – James Barrat
Bendigo Pioneers/Vic Country – DEF/FWD, 194cm

Barrat has become one of the few swingmen in the draft, beginning his year up forward before a change down back, where he put together a strong body of work that featured intercept marking and swift kicking out of the backline.

Pick 35. (Western Bulldogs) – Ollie Hannaford
GWV Rebels/Vic Country – FWD/DEF, 180cm

Undoubtedly the best pressure player in the draft, Hannaford is a solid utility who can play a strong running role off half-back, a pressure midfielder, or a dangerous small forward with a clinical scoring ability.

[Stevo]

Re: 2024 Draft Watch

Pick 36. (Port Adelaide) – Floyd Burmeister
GWV Rebels/Vic Country – RUCK/FWD, 199cm

A package of raw athleticism, Burmeister’s mobility as a developing ruck/forward looks promising, with the ability to impact in offensive transition and aerially with his marking contests.

Pick 37. (GWS) – Angus Clarke
Glenelg/South Australia – DEF/FWD, 189cm

The bouncy South Australian product is versatile on both ends of the field, possessing a strong understanding of when to impact the play and create transitional chains with his rebounding capabilities.

Pick 38. (Carlton) – Noah Mraz
Dandenong Stingrays/Vic Country –DEF, 198cm

The key defender was limited by injury earlier in the year, but showed promising signs with his aerial intercepting ability off half back and is able to read the play well and use his frame to push up the ground and go deeper down back.

Pick 39. (Essendon) – Hamish Davis
Claremont/Western Australia – FWD, 190cm

Davis has a lot of scope as a half-forward/midfield combination at the next level, possessing size, toughness, and footy smarts that make him a crafty target in the forward half, but also an asset around the contest.

Pick 40. (Sydney) – Lachie Jaques
Geelong Falcons/Vic Country –DEF, 185cm

Jaques is a prototype dashing halfback who produces athletic efforts in the air with his intercept marking, in addition to a calm presence exiting defensive 50 with a neat kick to ease transition.

Pick 41. (Carlton) – Ben Camporeale
Glenelg/South Australia – MID, 180cm

Picks Given: 55,60,61

The first of the Camporeale twins, Ben comes in with a strong body of work behind him as an inside midfielder with work ethic, power, and offensive penetration with his ball movement by hand, with area for improvement when moving the ball by foot.

Pick 42. (Geelong) – Xavier Ivisic
Geelong Falcons/Vic Country – MID/FWD, 181cm

The Cats will have a keen eye on Ivisic as a local product, a well-known talent for his tenacity and running capacity as a half-forward/inside midfielder combo, capable of producing a punch with his quick decision-making.

Pick 43. (Essendon) – Nathaniel Sulzberger
Sandringham Dragons/Vic Metro – MID/FWD, 187cm

Sulzberger’s potential is largely untapped, with great glimpses of his peak potential this season, possessing clean hands in transition and running power through the corridor.

Pick 44. (St Kilda) – Lennox Hofmann
Sandringham Dragons/Vic Metro –DEF, 190cm

St Kilda’s second likely NGA pick, Hofmann is a raw defensive talent, able to defend tall and small, impacting with his rebounding and hurt factor inside defensive 50 with his aggressiveness and pressure around the contest.

Pick 45. (Western Bulldogs) – Cody Anderson
Eastern Ranges/Vic Metro – MID, 183cm

Anderson’s physically imposing presence foreshadows his game, a pressure-filled talent who makes an impact with his tackling pressure and unassuming speed that is dashing out of centre stoppages.

Pick 46. (Port Adelaide) – Jack Ough
GWV Rebels/Vic Country – MID, 194cm

Another speciality position in the draft, Ough is a well-balanced inside/outside prospect with a strong understanding of forward half running. He is able to impact in close with his touches and one-two step his way out of contests to keep the footy moving.

Pick 47. (Collingwood) – Thomas Sims
Northern Knights/Vic Metro – FWD, 199cm

Collingwood’s search for a key forward will lead them straight to Tom Sims, who made his forward presence felt through his contested marking capability and leading patterns inside 50, with a downside of inconsistency hitting the scoreboard.

Pick 48. (Essendon) – Archer Day-Wicks
Bendigo Pioneers/Vic Country – FWD, 186cm

Day-Wicks has as much x-factor as anyone in this draft class and has a lot of room for growth, best known for his creative forward half movements to hit the scoreboard from stoppage at ground level or his marking ability which makes him excitingly unpredictable.

Pick 49. (Essendon) – Zak Johnson
Northern Knights/Vic Metro – MID, 185cm

Clean and composed, Johnson has a great understanding of his midfield craft, impacting out of stoppage with his clean kicking and distribution around the ground, a reliable accumulator with hurt factor.

Pick 50. (Collingwood) – Charlie Nicholls
Central District/South Australia – FWD, 197cm

The tall forward moves extremely well for his height, able to get into great spots with his leading patterns inside 50, and the ability to push higher up the ground and make use of his kicking in transition.

Pick 51. (GWS) – Logan Smith
Giants Academy/New South Wales/ACT – RUCK, 204cm

The Giants are likely to draft one Academy prospect, and Smith fits the bill with his consistency this season. The well-versed ruck is clean with his tap-work and follows up with aggressiveness, able to work well as a linking chain in transition and battle hard with his direct opponent in one-on-ones.

Pick 52. (Geelong) – Gabriel Stumpf
Northern Knights/Vic Metro – FWD, 196cm

Best known for his spectacular National Draft Combine results. Stumpf is an incredibly athletic prospect, mainly untapped with his potential as a marking key forward, often classier at ground level where he was swift to burn his opponents with speed and assist opportunities for the smaller forwards surrounding him.

Pick 53. (Sydney) – Joel Cochran
Swans Academy/New South Wales/ACT – DEF, 194cm

The Swans Academy product is well-versed in the rebounding tall defender role, able to generate run and carry out of the back half with a good leap to impact with his intercept marking.

Pick 54. (Collingwood) – Hugh Boxshall
Claremont/Western Australia – MID, 188cm

Boxshall has generated some good interest off the back of strong combine testing, presenting well as an endurance-based midfield with some spark around the stoppage, and a tough body with his tackling pressure.

Pick 55. (North Melbourne) – Rhys Unwin
GWV Rebels/Vic Country – FWD/MID, 179cm

Unwin produces some of the best speed for a smaller forward, crafty with his ball use, looking to get involved further up the ground and impact with his swift decision-making and vision to progress the footy inside 50, still with a lot of upside.

Pick 56. (Adelaide) – Tyler Welsh
Woodville-West Torrens/South Australia – FWD, 191cm

Born and bred for the Crows colours, Welsh will fit in under the wing of Darcy Fogarty, coming in as a strong marking forward with the capacity to tear games apart in minutes, known for his spontaneous spurts of goals.

Pick 57. (Essendon) – Jayden Nguyen
Calder Cannons/Vic Metro – DEF, 178cm

The Essendon NGA prospect possesses speed and dare off halfback, playing as a wingman in 2023, Nguyen is a strong field kick to move the ball offensively and has a good tank to keep him on his toes in crucial moments.

Pick 58. (Collingwood) – Sam Toner
Dandenong Stingrays/Vic Country – FWD, 184cm

The Narre-Warren local came into contention with a plethora of goal-scoring performances at local level, seeing him get the invite to Dandenong, where he turned it on yet again with a bag of five goals early in his Talent League career. Injury unfortunately brought an early end to 2024, but his upside is quite evident.

Pick 59. (Fremantle) – Luke Urquhart
East Fremantle/Western Australia – MID, 194cm

Powerful and bullish around the stoppages, Urquhart’s upside as a dominant big-bodied mid should be capitalised on, possessing a strong clearance ability with opportunism in the forward half to hit the scoreboard.

Pick 60. (Hawthorn) – Kayle Gerreyn
West Perth/Western Australia – RUCK/FWD, 199cm

Gerreyn has had moments of dominance this year as a tall marking forward with the flexibility to play in the ruck with his mobility and strong bodywork to outmanoeuvre opponents and win his one-on-ones.

Pick 61. (Carlton) – Lucas Camporeale
Glenelg/South Australia – WING, 184cm

The second of the Camporeale twins, Lucas possesses a greater outside game, known for his ability to read the play in the defensive half and use his drive and running patterns to propel his side forward.

Pick 62. (West Coast) – Malakai Champion
Subiaco/Western Australia – FWD, 172cm

The exciting small forward has been given opportunities to thrive at WAFL level for Subiaco, where he was able to showcase his deadly speed pushing high up the ground to burn his opponents, with strong goal sense that makes him tough to defend around forward 50 stoppages.

Pick 63. (GWS) – Luke Kennedy
Sandringham Dragons/Vic Metro – MID, 181cm

Having a defensive-minded midfielder is often more crucial than it seems and Kennedy is well equipped for the role with his hard running and clean ball use to aid his side forward in transition, whilst understanding when to stay back and offer support.

Pick 64. (Geelong) – Patrick Retschko
Oakleigh Chargers/Vic Metro – WING, 186cm

Known for running 2km before every game, Retschko’s outside run would compete at the Olympics, known for his two-way running and consistency at holding width with his ball movement to break forward in transition, still needs to improve his ball-use by foot.

Pick 65. (Hawthorn) – Blake Leidler
Oakleigh Chargers/Vic Metro – DEF, 181cm

Leidler has shown that his explosive nature off half back can likely stack up at AFL level, along with a well-rounded one-on-one ability emphasised with lockdown roles against big names in the Talent League Finals.

[Stevo]

Re: 2024 Draft Watch

So according to SEN we might come out something like -

Pick 20. (Western Bulldogs) - Jesse Dattoli
Northern Knights/Vic Metro - MID/FWD, 179cm

Dattoli adds a crafty and elusive balance to each midfield he?s in, a smart runner in the forward half of the ground where he?s often able to lose his opponent and sneak into small pockets inside forward 50 to take uncontested marks.

Dattoli's unafraid to make moments his own with his natural goal sense and can produce multiple eye-catching efforts in an outing.

Pick 28. (Western Bulldogs) - Harrison Oliver
Sandringham Dragons/Vic Metro - DEF, 181cm

Reliability is never a given with any player, but Oliver offers just that with his intercepting capability off half-back, punishing the opposition with his vision to open up the ground.

Oliver's National Championships was the pinnacle of his performances this year, showcasing his agility and contested work in clutch moments throughout the series and later in the year during Sandringham's premiership run.

Pick 35. (Western Bulldogs) - Ollie Hannaford
GWV Rebels/Vic Country - FWD/DEF, 180cm

Undoubtedly the best pressure player in the draft, Hannaford is a solid utility who can play a strong running role off half-back, a pressure midfielder, or a dangerous small forward with a clinical scoring ability.

Pick 45. (Western Bulldogs) - Cody Anderson
Eastern Ranges/Vic Metro - MID, 183cm

Anderson's physically imposing presence foreshadows his game, a pressure-filled talent who makes an impact with his tackling pressure and unassuming speed that is dashing out of centre stoppages.

I wouldn't be unhappy in the slightest if it panned out like this
A couple of small forwards and a small defender plus a pure midfielder. Anderson was a Dogs supporter as a kid

[azabob]

Re: 2024 Draft Watch

Jesse Dattoli often gets linked to us in the various phantom draft speculations.
To me because he is a marking type small forward he is an almost close match to Cody Weightman so I haven't had a closer look at him.

Watching Dattoli video highlights pack re-enforces that he is a marking small forward rather than a pure ground ball player.

I would be extremely perplexed if we drafted him at all.

[Axe Man]

Re: 2024 Draft Watch

Isn't Cody Anderson Hawthorn NGA eligible? At that point in the draft won't they be likely to match the bid?

[kruder]

Re: 2024 Draft Watch

Watching Dattoli video highlights pack re-enforces that he is a marking small forward rather than a pure ground ball player.

I would be extremely perplexed if we drafted him at all.

Tallest forward line in the clubs history its obvious what we are crying out for.

[kruder]

Re: 2024 Draft Watch

I'm still keen on Hannaford, he gives me 2016 vibes we just don't have many on the list who bring that kind of heat while being able to impact the scoreboard. A little concern he is a utility small but with his ability to impact a contest just have a strong feeling the kid will make it.

Love the fact he arguably played his best game for the year in the GF in a losing side, the kid is made of the right stuff.

[GVGjr]

Re: 2024 Draft Watch

Isn't Cody Anderson Hawthorn NGA eligible? At that point in the draft won't they be likely to match the bid?

Yes he is. I wonder if the NGA rules have changed

[Mofra]

Re: 2024 Draft Watch

I'm still keen on Hannaford, he gives me 2016 vibes we just don't have many on the list who bring that kind of heat while being able to impact the scoreboard. A little concern he is a utility small but with his ability to impact a contest just have a strong feeling the kid will make it.

Love the fact he arguably played his best game for the year in the GF in a losing side, the kid is made of the right stuff.

I feel the same, even with his terrible 2km time. We're getting someone who can become a solid role player who won't die wondering moreso than a star, but that's what we need.

[Stevo]

Re: 2024 Draft Watch

I feel the same, even with his terrible 2km time. We're getting someone who can become a solid role player who won't die wondering moreso than a star, but that's what we need.

We need a player like Hannaford.

[mjp]

Re: 2024 Draft Watch

We need a player like Hannaford.

I'm not a 2km time trial believer but it does count at some point. The role he would project to play would have probably the highest running load of any position...There would want to be a significant explanation as to what went wrong for me - particularly in the top 30 when there are so many other players still available.

I get the whole 'We need a player like Hannaford" vibes but he's playing against a bunch of kids in those highlights.

Unless I was confident it was a one off, I would take Davis ahead of him...or (and I'm not really that big a fan of this player) bid on Champion who is a genuine small forward. He's annoying though.

[Stevo]

Re: 2024 Draft Watch

I'm not a 2km time trial believer but it does count at some point. The role he would project to play would have probably the highest running load of any position...There would want to be a significant explanation as to what went wrong for me - particularly in the top 30 when there are so many other players still available.

I get the whole 'We need a player like Hannaford" vibes but he's playing against a bunch of kids in those highlights.

Unless I was confident it was a one off, I would take Davis ahead of him...or (and I'm not really that big a fan of this player) bid on Champion who is a genuine small forward. He's annoying though.

I think you have G convinced with Davis who from the highlights shared here has a real upside to him.
Could we handle Champion?

[azabob]

Re: 2024 Draft Watch

Unless I was confident it was a one off, I would take Davis ahead of him...or (and I'm not really that big a fan of this player) bid on Champion who is a genuine small forward. He's annoying though.

Hey mjp, a two part question which perhaps is a tad unfair but....

1) What type of players should we be targeting with our four odd picks and

2) Can you give us some names of said players who will be around our picks?

In pervious posts you have given some insight in the type of player we need but no real names attached to those.

[GVGjr]

Re: 2024 Draft Watch

I'm not a 2km time trial believer but it does count at some point. The role he would project to play would have probably the highest running load of any position...There would want to be a significant explanation as to what went wrong for me - particularly in the top 30 when there are so many other players still available.

I get the whole 'We need a player like Hannaford" vibes but he's playing against a bunch of kids in those highlights.

Unless I was confident it was a one off, I would take Davis ahead of him...or (and I'm not really that big a fan of this player) bid on Champion who is a genuine small forward. He's annoying though.

Who knows if there is a reason behind Hannafords slower 2km effort but while it might change the position we would be prepared to select him at it's certainly an area that we could help him improve with. His agility test result was very impressive plus his 5, 10 and 20mtr performances were all right up there with the best tested.

I'm not concerned with Hannafords lack of exposure against senior players but it does provide recruiters a better assessment as some draftees switch between senior and junior football in their draft year.

What I like about Hannaford is that he has moved between defensive, midfield and forward duties and has performed well in all of them. That additional versatility might compensate a bit for his 2km performance.

[Mofra]

Re: 2024 Draft Watch

Jesse i think would fit us perfect he would partner with weightman we need a small forward because we don?t have many.

Datoli seems more like an undersized marking HF though.
I think we need a different type to complement our forward line, a genuine tackling crumber who plays closer to goal.