Plenty of others will have different opinions of who fared well and who didn't based on their own viewing and rating systems - I am just a mug punter that watches the U18 Championships games plus some WAFL and SANFL League games, so take it with a grain of salt...
Adelaide - A (only two selections, but Smith is beauty at 14!)
Brodie Smith (14), Jarrad Lyons (61)
I am a big fan of Smith at 14 and I think Adelaide is an excellent fit for him too - he has great opportunity to fulfil his potential there!
I haven't seen Lyons play...
Brisbane - B (I like Polec and Green, but not sold they utilised 25 and 28 best)
Polec (5), Karnezis (25), Lester (28), Green (32)
Polec is one I rated highly (like most judges) and was well worth pick 5 and a good fit for Brisbane.
Karnezis and Lester are OK - but they are only decent medium-tall utility flanker types - I think Brisbane genuinely needed of key position types and there were some good ones on the board in McCarthy and Mitchell in particular who would've been better fits IMO...
That said, Green was a very tidy selection that should add a sweet combo of grunt and pace to the midfield and like Polec should fit in well!
Carlton - A+ (WOW! I love all of their selections - boosted their tall talent big time - very good players and great fits relative to need)
Matthew Watson (18), Patrick McCarthy (34), Luke Mitchell (43), Andrew McInnes (67), Nick Duigan (70)
Watson was always the man at 18 - great fit for Carlton from a needs perspective and I also think he was the best talent available too.
To get McCarthy too - who was probably in close contention for pick 18 is great fortune! They could form a very formidable defensive duo down the track...
Then Mitchell at 43 - a very good super tall and strong bodied forward prospect that I rated top 25 - surely the Carlton recruiters must've checked the date after all of that to make sure it wasn't December 25th...
McInnes at 67 was definitely the icing on the cake - very solid player that does little wrong - would be one of the few I'd tip drafted beyond 50 that I think will play 100 games.
Haven't seen Duigan play...
Collingwood - A (I think they'll extract two long term players from this year's picks, which would be an excellent result considering the draft position...)
Alex Fasolo (45), Daniel Farmer (46), Kirk Ugle (60), Paul Seedsman (76), Trent Stubbs (77), Thomas Young (104)
Fasolo is a very good get at 45 - I rated him in my top 30 - good fit too, as he's one that is very versatile medium utility without much wrong with his game and will push for selection in his first year.
Haven't seen enough of Farmer, Ugle or Seedsman (heard a lot of good things about Ugle from those ITK).
Stubbs showed a lot of potential last year as a bottom aged athletic medium utility for NSW-ACT - didn't see him at all this year, but at 77 I think is a very tidy selection based on that.
Young is a scholarship elevation that I liked the look of last year at U18s and has progressed extremely well this year to win Collingwood's VFL B&F!
Essendon - B (Heppell is a great get, but don't know enough about 2 and the other 2 I didn't rate in my top 50 prospects)
Heppell was my highest rated prospect after the big 3 and I think he fits in well for Essendon - I see him playing a genuine inside-out midfielder and a very good one which would be ideal for Essendon.
Stienberg and Ross I haven't see enough of...
I didn't rate Browne or Davis in my top 50 as I didn't think either had enough AFL attributes (Browne was considered, he is a hard running half back, but I had a concern over the reliability of his ball use - Davis, didn't particularly standout to me in any regard) - but TBF there wasn't that much around...
Fremantle - C+ (a bit uninspiring IMO...)
Jayden Pitt (20), Viv Michie (44), Josh Melington (56)
Continue their trend of taking slender but skilful wing/flank types with earlier selections...
I didn't rate Pitt as a first round selection based on what I had seen - he is very agile and a very good kick but is very skinny, 'outside' and not particularly quick - I didn't have him in my top 45, but that said he does have quite a lot of fans...
Also, I do think Fremantle is the best fit for him out of all clubs given they play on the open and spacious Subiaco Oval every second week.
Michie is a solid get, I think he has a better rounded game and I rate him higher than Pitt. Again he is a skilful player, but needs to improve his intensity and work-rate if he's going to sustain a long-term AFL career succesfully.
I haven't seen Melington play...
Geelong - A- (good mix of players that will fit in, look and play the part at the Cattery)
Billie Smedts (15), Cameron Guthrie (23), George Horlin-Smith (37), Jordan Schroder (54)
Smedts, I rated later (20-30) and probably would've rated higher if I had seen his early TAC Cup games pre-carnival, but I think he is a very handy football smart, clean skilled utility player that will fit in very well in Geelong's structure quickly - would've preferred Watson for their selection with Scarlett likely to retire soon.
Guthrie I rated around that mark he went and I think he is again a very good fit at Geelong (another football smart mid/utility and potentially a replacement for Ling) - similar style of player to Brady Rawlings...
Schroder is a good get at 54 - would've liked to see more of him, but had him in my top 45 and I think again he adds another very football smart, strong bodied, contested football winnning midfielder that Geelong have based their game plan around succesfully in previous years.
Gold Coast Suns - A (as expected collected good talent from their great number
of first round selections that always promised to do so)
David Swallow (1), Harley Bennell (2), Sam Day (3), Josh Caddy (7), Dion Prestia (9), Daniel Gorringe (10), Tom Lynch (11), Seb Tape (13), Jeremy Taylor (39), Jacob Gilbee (49)
Their top 3 was the same as my top albeit in a slightly different order - all have a number of elite attributes for their positions and the potential to be top-line AFL player as you'd want from top 3 selections
I am a big fan of Caddy - I love his powerful and intense inside play and I think he will fit in well at Gold Coast.
I wouldn't have selected Prestia that early, but I don't dispute that he is a decent selection - Atley would've been my preference as a genuine midfielder - I think he has more upside, but Prestia is much more physically mature and R2G.
Not a huge fan of the Gorringe selection given they already have Zac Smith who is R2G and looking extremely promising for a 21 year old ruckman, Tom Nicholls developing as a raw athletic former-AIS prospect and Charlie Dixon who as a primary forward can perform back-up duties when Smith needs a rest - I don't think Gorringe will be given the best opportunity to fulfil his potential there and could see him being one that leaves at some point.
Lynch is a good get at 11 - very hard working, super tall and clean CHF prospect - if he and Day develop as intended they will cause many a coach and defender headaches ala Riewoldt and Kos.
I like the Seb Tape selection - he is a player who I think has a lot of promise as an athletic utility. He also showed in his debut game at SANFL League in a final that he can step his game up a level in a quick response to the challenge put in front of him, which is fantastic to see in a young player.
I haven't seen Jeremy Taylor play...
Jacob Gilbee is a player I just didn't see enough AFL attributes in to consider...
Hawthorn - A- (good mix of different flavours from quite good value ingredients)
Isaac Smith (17), Mitch Hallahan (37), Angus Litherland (55), Paul Puopolo (66)
Smith is a very good fit given Hawthorn are currently competitive, lack a bit of pace through the midfield and he can jump into AFL straight away and likely have some impact - very explosive wingman that has high hurt factor.
Hallahan provides some genuine grunt and bash and crash in the clinches, but needs to improve his skill level to sustain a long term career - an OK pick overall...
Litherland is very good value at 55 and provides a versatile athletic tall defender that can play tall or small. Will need much more time that the above 2.
I haven't seen enough of Puopolo to comment...
Melbourne - C- (I don't think Cook was near the best choice for 12, not sure about the others)
Lucas Cook (12), Jeremy Howe (33), Troy Davis (50), Tom McDonald (53)
I'm not the biggest fan of the Cook selection - very skilled ball user and decision maker, but I am concerned he lacks attributes to make him a good key position player - not that strong OH, not particularly quick on the lead and lacks strength/physicality - could be a good 3rd tall type though... but Melbourne need a genuine strong bodied key forward - if none are available then boosting the midfield stocks is the next best option
If I was their RM, I probably would've gone for Atley or Tape at 13 and Mitchell at 30 to fulfil the need...
I haven't seen Howe, Davis or McDonald play before.
North Melbourne - A (picked 2 trendy players at their first two selections)
Shaun Atley (17), Kieran Harper (27), Cameron Delaney (69)
Atley is a good addition to the North Melbourne midfield group - adds another strong contested ball winner, but this time with some genuine explosive pace and evasive ability.
Harper is good value - one of the most talented players in the draft - elegantly athletic, highly skilled and versatile - just needs to put it all together more often...
I haven't seen enough of Delaney to form an opinion.
Port Adelaide - C+ (I think they could've done better than Jacobs at 16 and other selections were modest)
Jacobs is a football smart player, but as a receiver I'm concerned that he
doesn't have enough weapons to be better than an ordinary high possession player - his kicking is overrated, decision making isn't consistently reliable enough for a general type and although he has improve his speed, he isn't a pacy line-breaker.
Newton was underdone this year, but whilst his smarts, skills and decision making look quite good, he lacks athletic ability and I'm not sure what role he'll play (jack of all, master of none?) - it would've been nice to see more of him at his best as I understand he's had illness and injury issues.
Young seems a good athletic half forward type that should get the best out of himself, but needs to improve his size/strength very significantly and clean up his skils somewhat - about par for value.
Richmond - B (Conca is a good player and very underrated - not sure about the rest!)
Reece Conca (6), Jake Batchelor (30), Bradley Helbig (47), Dean MacDonald (51), Tom Dericx (63)
I would've gone for Heppell personally, but Conca is a very good player that has a lot of Travis Boak about him... just made my top 10 in the end - I think he is a good addition.
Haven't seen enough of Batchelor, Helbig, MacDonald or Dericx...
St Kilda - B (Cripps is a great addition at 24 - the rest of the lot is quite resonable)
Jamie Cripps (24), Sam Crocker (43), Tom Ledger (59), Arryn Siposs (75), Ryan Gamble (90), Dean Polo (103)
Cripps is a very good addition at 24 and based on the WAFL form he showe at year end, ready to step up and impact immediately if he gets opportunity, but still with plenty of improvement left in him as an U18 recruit.
Crocker, I haven't seen at all...
Ledger looks to be an explosive midfielder - he showed a few flashes at the U18 Championships, but got little opportunity at the carnival to truly showcase his ability. He won the competition B&F (Jack Clarke Medal) at WAFL colts, but in the end I didn't see enough to get a strong indication of his overall abilities.
Siposs looked handy as a medium lead and mark forward in the little snippets I saw of him at the championships, but like Ledger I didn't see enough to get a strong handle of his abilities...
Not sure about what Polo will add but Gamble could potentially add another goal kicking option to their forward line who can contribute a couple per game which is definitely needed.
Sydney - B+ (Lamb and Parker are both good additions - Spangher was a surprise!)
Jed Lamb (21), Luke Parker (40), Alex Johnson (57), Matthew Spangher (73)
Lamb is a clean, creative and explosive half forward - similar prospect to
Rohan, who they drafted last year. Great to see them continue to add more dynamic players to their list to complement the soldiers.
Parker is a typical Sydney style player - strong bodied, contested ball winning midfielder that reads the play well - so shouldn't have any trouble fitting in.
Haven't seen enough of Johnson to evaluate...
I don't rate Spangher particularly highly - decision making and skills are subpar and he gets beaten defensively too often. Good luck Sydney!
West Coast - B (decent overall effort, but being overrated ATM)
Andrew Gaff (4), Jack Darling (26), Scott Lycett (29)
Gaff will improve the team's skill level/decision making which was essential from this selection and should be at least a good player, but I can't help but think they would've been better off going for a higher hurt factor player like Heppell or Polec, who both also would improve the team's skill level/decision making (particularly Heppell).
Darling was about fair value I thought - man child 191cm key forward that isn't particularly quick doesn't read well. He was very impressive in 2009 and struggled this year, but injury and lack of pre-season preparation should be taken into account - hard one to rate!
Lycett adds a second developing ruckman, which was needed during this draft period with only the very promising Naitanui and aging Cox on the current list without any genuine cover.
Western Bulldogs - A (Wallis and Liberatore combo for the price they paid will make Dogs fans very happy - the rest I'm not so sure about, but there wasn't much around at those stages)
Mitch Wallis (22), Tom Liberatore (41), Jayden Schofield (74), Zeph Skinner (88), Tom Hill (89)
Wallis and Liberatore look like genuine long term midfielders that are very good footballers with strong credentials and great chemistry on and off the football field - I rated them both top 20 prospects.
I haven't seen Schofield or Skinner play at all...
Hill has some showed some promise as a ruck/forward a couple of years ago, but all-round inconsistency was always his issue - haven't seen him this year to give a reasonable evaluation.
All the best to the players recruited and if I talked your clubs recruiting or player's down then I hope they prove me wrong!
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