Fox Footy - each club's preferred players:
1. North - Horne-Francis
2. Coll - Daicos
3. Dogs - Darcy
4. GWS - Callaghan
5. GC - Andrew
6. Adel - Rachele
7. Haw - Ward
8. Freo - Amiss
9. Rich - Hobbs
10. Freo - Gibcus
11. StK - Sinn
12. WC - Erasmus
---------------------------
State of play: How three clubs hold the key to unlocking crucial AFL draft dominoesBen Waterworth
Fox Sports
November 17th, 2021 3:23 pmRival clubs are keeping close tabs on the Giants, Suns and Crows, with the three teams’ early first-round choices to dictate how the start of next week’s AFL national draft pans out.
The Giants have held on to Pick 2, despite ample interest from rival clubs in that selection since the end of the trade period. They’re expected to place a bid on Daicos and, likely, Bulldogs father-son prospect Sam Darcy, who is the best key-position player in this year’s draft class.
Both the Magpies and Bulldogs will have enough draft points accumulated to match the respective bids, ensuring Daicos will join Collingwood and Darcy will join the Bulldogs.
This is when it’ll get interesting.
Gold Coast, Adelaide, Hawthorn and Richmond have all shown strong interest in gun Sandringham Dragons midfielder Finn Callaghan, who has drawn comparisons to Bulldogs superstar Marcus Bontempelli. Foxfooty.com.au understands both the Suns and Crows made inquiries about trading up to Pick 2 in the hope of nabbing Callaghan, only for the offers to be rejected.
Despite suggestions the Giants were open to trading the selection, they’re now poised to take Pick 2 to the draft – unless they receive a godfather, too-good-to-refuse offer from a rival team on draft night.
Foxfooty.com.au understands the Giants have narrowed down their call at Pick 2 (which should become Pick 4 after bids) to four players: Callaghan, Dandenong Stingrays tall Mac Andrew, GWV Rebels defender Josh Gibcus and Murray Bushrangers small forward Josh Rachele.
The Giants for weeks have been heavily linked to Andrew, but it’s understood they’ve warmed to Callaghan, who coach Leon Cameron is a big fan of.
Should the Giants snare Callaghan, it would be a blow for the Suns, who’ve kept very close tabs on the on-baller.
Gold Coast would then face a tough conundrum. It could change tack and turn to a taller prospect like Andrew or Gibcus – the latter being the top intercept defender of this year’s draft class and a player that could fill a chasm on the Suns’ list – with their pick.
Foxfooty.com.au understands the Suns are leaning towards taking Andrew – a raw yet exciting 200cm prospect that can play across all thirds of the ground and would provide the Suns with ruck and key-position depth.
The Suns, though, could turn to a midfielder, particularly after they lost Hugh Greenwood – their second-best on-baller in 2021, per the AFL Player Ratings – to North Melbourne earlier this week. They’ve been linked to GWV Rebels’ Ben Hobbs – the best pure inside midfielder in the draft – while Josh Ward would also be in the mix.
Adelaide has the next selection. Whether that selection is legitimately up for grabs remains a talking point among recruiters.
As Foxfooty.com.au reported last month, the Crows have an interest in Rachele – an uber-talented forward-midfielder blessed with goalkicking nous, strong hands overhead, x-factor and an unwavering belief in his own ability. If Adelaide retains its first pick, it’s expected to take Rachele.
But rival teams believe the Crows would be prepared and willing to trade down the order if it meant they could still get their hands on their preferred prospect.
Multiple sources told Foxfooty.com.au the Crows have interest in Sandringham Dragons’ Josh Sinn and Glenelg’s Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera – two players seen as more likely to be taken towards the middle of the first round. So could the Crows trade picks with a rival club in the top 10 then settle on a player that would give them outside run?
Wanganeen-Milera, one of the best kicks in the draft, would address the Crows’ kicking issues – they had the worst kick rating and the third-worst kicking efficiency in the AFL this year – while Sinn would provide genuine dash off half-back or the wing.
Hawthorn holds Pick 5 – a selection that will turn into Pick 7 after the Darcy and Daicos bids. The Hawks, like many clubs, are still keen on Callaghan and could make a late play for the Giants’ first pick, but appear set to take their natural first-round selection to the draft.
The Hawks have been strongly linked to Northern Knights midfielder Ward – a Hawthorn supporter whose great grandfather Alex Lee played 31 games for the club between 1933 and 1935. He’s an on-baller with a terrific workrate that racks up a lot of the footy, both in contested and uncontested situations.
Rival clubs believe the Hawks have also been keeping tabs on outside ball-winners Wanganeen-Milera and WA’s smooth-moving on-baller Matthew Johnson.
After the Hawks,
Fremantle enters the draft armed with Picks 6 and 8. And while the Dockers have publicly stressed they’re happy to target interstate talent, there are several gun WA-based prospects that would be appropriate to select with the selections the club has.
Foxfooty.com.au understands the Dockers have had a strong, long-time interest in East Perth’s Jye Amiss – the No. 1 pure key forward prospect in this year’s draft class that booted 51 goals in the WAFL colts in 2021. Ideally, the Dockers would take Amiss with their second top-10 pick,
but the Tigers (Pick 7) also have interest in the 196cm prospect and could force the Dockers to pick him earlier – if they want him that desperately.
Richmond has been linked to Hobbs for many weeks, with reports suggesting the Tigers see the Rebels prospect as a replacement for Trent Cotchin. While the Suns and Crows have some interest, there’s a chance Hobbs, who averaged 29.2 disposals and 6.2 clearances in the NAB League this season, slips to the Tigers without them having to make a trade. But if any of Rachele, Gibcus or Ward were still on the board, they’d face a tough choice.The Dockers have also been linked to Rachele and Gibcus. Rachele could help address the Dockers’ pressure issue while being that maximum impact player – in that most of his disposals lead to scores for his team – while Gibcus could bring stability to a Dockers tall defensive group that has struggled for continuity and consistency over recent years.
If he’s still on the board, Subiaco’s Johnson looms as a genuine contender to be drafted by the Dockers with their second selection. The composed on-baller had a strong finish to his 2021 campaign, starring in the WAFL reserves, winning WA best on ground honours in an Under 19 challenge game against SA at Optus Stadium on AFL Grand Final day then recording top-10 results in three draft combine tests.
St Kilda then enters the draft at Pick 9 – and if it’s case of addressing list needs, the Saints should be after some polish in the midfield to improve their clearance efficiency, or a key defender following the departures of Jake Carlisle, Oscar Clavarino, James Frawley and Dylan Roberton.
Foxfooty.com.au understands the Saints are strongly considering Sinn, whose ability to break lines with speed and long kicking has captured the attention of recruiters throughout the year. But if Gibcus slipped through, the Saints would likely pounce on him, while the outside class of Wanganeen-Milera and Johnson would be hard for them to ignore. Exciting midfielder-defender Josh Goater would also come into calculations.
Goater’s electric speed, high vertical leap and WA-based family connections would also appeal to West Coast, which rounds out the top 10 – which will become the top 12 – of the draft.
But Foxfooty.com.au understands
the Eagles are big fans of local Subiaco midfielder-forward Neil Erasmus. An exciting player blessed with footy smarts and strong overhead marking, Erasmus was the second-highest ranked player in the WAFL colts this year, according to Champion Data, and ranked among the top five players for disposals, contested possessions, intercept marks, clearances and score assists.
https://www.foxsports.com.au/afl/draft/afl-draft-2021-phantom-draft-top-10-predictions-state-of-play-trades-most-important-picks-prospects-finn-callaghan-mac-andrew/news-story/0fb12ec9fddf754a5f696fad9cb4ba71
