Pick 12 - who should we draft?

[georgies31]

Liam Duggan.I rate this kid highly after the top two midfielders in the draft he is up there complete package and has the legspeed and run and carry we need.

[one-eyed]

From Luke Weller's in-depth profile part-2:

When he gets home next week he wants to continue working on his contested-ball winning, seeing it as the main area of improvement in his game.

On tour he has seen bigger midfielders Angus Brayshaw, Isaac Heeney and Walsh dominate in and around stoppages. Weller is at his best outside stoppages when using the ball. He wants to get up to 80kg, and thinks that – and a mindset tweak – would be enough to improve the contested side of his game.

"There are a lot of midfielders who don't have both sides, and I'm always challenging myself to be better," he said.

http://www.afl.com.au/news/2014-11-11/model-prospect-lachie-weller-steps-up-on-the-footy-ground-and-steps-out-for-the-cameras

[one-eyed]

@SamLandsberger  - "Meet Liam Duggan, the classy mid the Tigers want at No. 12."

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Pick Me: Liam Duggan matured quickly after teammate’s death, set to be first-round draft pick

    Sam Landsberger
    Herald Sun
    November 11, 2014 8:00PM


LIAM Duggan remembers running Ballarat’s Eastern Oval centre square perimeter trying to keep warm as his under-16’s qualifying final was brought to a dramatic halt.

Bacchus Marsh teammate Nathan Prince had collapsed in a forward pocket and Duggan — a hot chance to land at Richmond or North Melbourne early in this month’s draft — at first thought he had fainted.

But when Prince went into cardiac arrest and required resuscitation the game was called off and the gravity of what was unfolding immediately hit Duggan, his Cobra teammates and coach, Western Bulldogs legend Doug Hawkins.

Prince, 17, lost his fight for life 11 days later.

Five days after his funeral and a tear-filled training session, Duggan, then 14, kicked two of Bacchus Marsh’s eight goals on his non-preferred right foot as Hawkins’ side beat the undefeated North Ballarat to win a premiership dedicated to Prince.

It remains Hawkins’ sporting pinnacle. He said he was more proud of that moment than breaking Ted Whitten’s games record or his six flags at Braybrook.

Hawkins said it also capped the four weeks Duggan matured from a boy to a man.

“His finals performances against all odds with young Nathan lying in hospital … I watched that kid grow,” Hawkins said.

“He reminds me so much of Robbie Flower. Duggan might be a left-footer, but he’s got this outstanding balance and he ticks every single box.

“He kicks both sides, he’s got good vertical leap, he’s strong overhead and has the tank of a marathon runner.


Liam Duggan has been compared to Nick Dal Santo. Picture: Stuart Milligan

“One-on-one he’s hard to beat. He can outmark a smaller bloke and a taller bloke he’ll get it to ground and beat them on the run.

“When he started training I said to his dad, ‘your kid’s going to play league footy’.”

And Duggan wasn’t the only one.

Of Hawkins’ 2011 side left-footer Dillon Viojo-Rainbow will find an AFL home in the second round and gangly forward Brenton Payne — grandson of 184-game Bomber Charlie Payne — is a chance at the back end.

“Viojo-Rainbow is an absolute jet, As soon as I saw these boys they screamed AFL straight away, straight away,” Hawkins said.

“I picked the three of them. And that grand final that those boys were a part of had a lot to do with their development, don’t worry about that.”


Liam Duggan led St Pat’s College to its fifth-straight Herald Sun shield. Picture: Colleen Petch

Richmond has spoken to Duggan several times and wants to add to its growing band of classy ball users at pick 12, while draft sources believe Duggan won’t get past North Melbourne at pick 16.

Duggan said that while a few of his teammates started thinking about their mortality on the football field after Prince died, he learned not to take anything for granted.

“The ultimate was taken away from Nathan that day, so live in the now and don’t take anything for granted and just be grateful for what you’ve got,” he said.

“I actually go out with (Prince’s) younger sister.”

Duggan — who keeps his premiership medal in his room with a team photo and newspaper article — captained Western Jets this year and led St Pat’s College to its fifth-straight Herald Sun shield.

An AFL recruiter noted he was among the most impressive interviewees seen, with clubs believing he is the safest selection in this year’s pool.


Liam Duggan was captain of the Western Jets this season. Picture: David Smith

LIAM DUGGAN

AGE: 17

HEIGHT: 183cm

WEIGHT: 75kg

CLUB: Western Jets

POSITION: Midfielder

SUPERCOACH AVE.: 120 pts

PLAYS LIKE: Nick Dal Santo

PREDICTED DRAFT RANGE: 8-16

IN THE MIX: Gold Coast (8/15), West Coast (11), Richmond (12), North Melbourne (16)

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/pick-me-liam-duggan-matured-quickly-after-teammates-death-set-to-be-firstround-draft-pick/story-fnau1fjg-1227119874846

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WATCH DUGGAN’S “PICK ME” VIDEO: http://www.heraldsun.com.au/video/id-1vZjVucTpTEm-giav4GO5hZW70jsfb2Q/Pick-Me-for-AFL-Draft:-Liam-Duggan

[Rampstar]

Liam Duggan.I rate this kid highly after the top two midfielders in the draft he is up there complete package and has the legspeed and run and carry we need.

based on limitedvision I agree that he shows good run and carry and decent leg speed (nothing spectacular however) my big concern is in just a small 2 or 3 minute highlight video he has

12 kicks in total
4 of the kicks are kick ins from Full Back where 3 out of the 4 find a team mate and that's fair enough
1 of his outfield kicks goes to a team mate
6 of his outfield kicks goes to the opposition
1 kick ends up as a 50/50

of 12 kicks 7 kicks go to the opposition
4 kicks go to a team mate and 3 of them are when he is taking a kick out from full back
1 kick is a 50-50

I understand that the kids have a kicking test and maybe young liam did well and maybe indeed he is a good kick but if this is his highlight tape with some of his best endeavors I have to say its a worry in terms of his field kicking

[dwaino]

Going by that article it sounds like Duggan is our man. Isn't this about the time we start hearing who we're dead set on?

[tony_montana]

That's what worries me dwaino, makes me wonder if there was a slider like Laverde would we take him or stay the course with Duggan bc he's our target.

[dwaino]

Just looking through some phantom drafts in this thread and stuff, if Laverde or even Ahern slides then who is getting picked ahead? Surely clubs won't go for Duggan or Weller in the top 10 would they? Someone taking Wright might push someone down, but you're right TM. I hope we take best available, pick 12 seems neither here nor there and we should take whatever we can get.

[Loui Tufga]

I heard Weller doesn't want to leave the Gold Coast but the Suns have told him they won't pick him with there first pic. He told a mate "if I get drafted anywhere else I'll see out my two years and get traded back"
The kid sounds like a flog with that attitude.

[Mr Magic]

I heard Weller doesn't want to leave the Gold Coast but the Suns have told him they won't pick him with there first pic. He told a mate "if I get drafted anywhere else I'll see out my two years and get traded back"
The kid sounds like a flog with that attitude.

Where did you hear that? Sounds like complete BS.

[taztiger4]

I heard Weller doesn't want to leave the Gold Coast but the Suns have told him they won't pick him with there first pic. He told a mate "if I get drafted anywhere else I'll see out my two years and get traded back"
The kid sounds like a flog with that attitude.

Def BS, he only moved to the GC a couple of years ago from Tassie when Mav got drafted & his mum & dad have since moved to Melb to be close to Mav

[Mr Magic]

Nice work Taz.

[YellowandBlackBlood]

I heard Weller doesn't want to leave the Gold Coast but the Suns have told him they won't pick him with there first pic. He told a mate "if I get drafted anywhere else I'll see out my two years and get traded back"
The kid sounds like a flog with that attitude.

This is a terrible post Loui. Don't call kids flogs until you are positive with the information. There is just so much BS that floats around that it doesn't say much of the person that get sucks in and believes it most of the time.  Be a bit more discerning please......

[Yeahright]

I heard Weller doesn't want to leave the Gold Coast but the Suns have told him they won't pick him with there first pic. He told a mate "if I get drafted anywhere else I'll see out my two years and get traded back"
The kid sounds like a flog with that attitude.

I heard a similar thing. Told a mate if he does get drafted elsewhere he'll try every way possible of going back

[Rampstar]

I heard he'd be over the moon to play for the club he has supported his whole life and that's us. I'm hoping we call out his name on draft night.

[Go Richo 12]

I heard Weller doesn't want to leave the Gold Coast but the Suns have told him they won't pick him with there first pic. He told a mate "if I get drafted anywhere else I'll see out my two years and get traded back"
The kid sounds like a flog with that attitude.

I heard he only wants to stay at the Gold Coast until schoolies is over.