2025 AFL Draft

[Andyy]

Think it’s pretty simple for us

One of Cumming or Robey, the latter if we are feeling like more risk.

Similar players. Big bodied, fast, aerobic, goal kicking mids

Liken them a bit to Callaghan

The other pick has to be Grlj imo

Pretty happy with this one

Good job, you should get a gig in recruiting maybe. Often on the money with player assessment.

[Andyy]

I think Dons have done really well with Robey, Farrow and Sharp.

[Damo]

I think Dons have done really well with Robey, Farrow and Sharp.

Made out like bandits

[Simonator]

Looks good on paper for them but at the end of the day the picks mean nothing if you can’t develop them

[ajGreen]

The mids looks more balanced now -

Hotton. Grlj. Campbell. Algar is some good speed.

Retschko is a runner.

Lalor. Cumming. Smillie. McAuliffe is hopefully some class inside.

Fingers crossed Tanner Armstrong kicks on.

Getting the spine in place early in a rebuild is useful too: Faull. Trainor. Armstrong. Sims.

Haven't seen any significant midfield time for Campbell.
Hotton and Algar the same but you might expect these 3 to rotate/spend time up forward I guess?

Retschko I thought was more of a winger.

Smillie couldn't get on the park and just had surgery as well.


So at this stage really it seems like Lalor, Cumming, Grlj and McAuliffe will be our options to mix with the tractors Taranto and Hopper and the dinosaur Prestia. I'm hoping the two new guys bring midfield pace. It feels to me we have recruited based on need vs best available, although this isn't usually the mantra.

It'll be slow for the short term. If you look at the youngest team the tigers can put on the park they seem to be improving that:


Gray. Gibcus. Brown.
Grlj. Trainor. Banks.
Retscheko. Cumming. Hotton.
Clarke. Faull. Lalor.
Algar. Armstrong. Campbell.
Sims. Smillie. McAullife.
Fawcett. Smith. Green. Sonsie.

Rioli. Trezsie. Ralphsmith.


Hotton and Campbell got a bit of time in the guts towards the end of the season and I've been told Algar was pretty good there in the u18s.

Whoever the best players or needs were it's done now so good luck to the new boys.

[Tiger Khosh]

I think Dons have done really well with Robey, Farrow and Sharp.

Made out like bandits

If Robey lives up to the hype they will have had a ripper.

Tbh I wouldn’t blame our recruiters for overlooking him as even I was sceptical originally with using such a top end pick on someone based on 3 months form. I did come around by the end and was seated nicely in the bandwagon lol but can’t blame for taking players they have tracked for multi years and have runs on the board at multiple levels.

If Sharp ends up being a superstar I will be far more critical.

[one-eyed]

Following the first round, Richmond's recruiting manager Rhy Gieschen had some choice words for the state of the draft system.

"The system needs to be addressed... if you finish second-bottom on the ladder you probably don't expect to have pick 7," he said.

Four bids inside the first six selections is a sign of the system working as AFL House intended. But its results skew the equalisation that the draft aims to implement in the competition when the semi-finalist Suns land four first-round talents and the back-to-back premiers bring in another star midfielder.

https://www.espn.com.au/afl/story/_/id/47025333/afl-draft-2025-bids-trades-chaos-made-first-round

[Andyy]

Following the first round, Richmond's recruiting manager Rhy Gieschen had some choice words for the state of the draft system.

"The system needs to be addressed... if you finish second-bottom on the ladder you probably don't expect to have pick 7," he said.

Four bids inside the first six selections is a sign of the system working as AFL House intended. But its results skew the equalisation that the draft aims to implement in the competition when the semi-finalist Suns land four first-round talents and the back-to-back premiers bring in another star midfielder.

https://www.espn.com.au/afl/story/_/id/47025333/afl-draft-2025-bids-trades-chaos-made-first-round

This is quite F'd tbh

I don't mind the F/S options because they are far more rare and not always likely to come good, but the academy ones are so unfair.

GCS having another 2 top 5's is absurd, then another 2 before 20.

[Simonator]

Everyone including the afl knows the system is stuffed.

More changes are coming and I wouldn’t be surprised to see father son abolished but imo the real problem are the academy picks as evident in this years draft. 4 picks for GC in the first round is ridiculous, as well as getting petracca via trade. They just have so much capital to work with

Why can’t the teams who miss out on these players (like us this year) be compensated instead ?

For example if an academy player is rated top 5 by majority of clubs why shouldn’t GC in this example have to trade for the right to draft him, maybe half the amount of points ?

So if we wanted Patterson but GC took him, they should have to trade us half pick 3’s value in picks (max 2 or 3 picks) and we retain our pick as well.

Maybe it’s convoluting it more but we have to be compensated, it’s ridiculous

[ajGreen]

Everyone including the afl knows the system is stuffed.

More changes are coming and I wouldn’t be surprised to see father son abolished but imo the real problem are the academy picks as evident in this years draft. 4 picks for GC in the first round is ridiculous, as well as getting petracca via trade. They just have so much capital to work with

Why can’t the teams who miss out on these players (like us this year) be compensated instead ?

For example if an academy player is rated top 5 by majority of clubs why shouldn’t GC in this example have to trade for the right to draft him, maybe half the amount of points ?

So if we wanted Patterson but GC took him, they should have to trade us half pick 3’s value in picks (max 2 or 3 picks) and we retain our pick as well.

Maybe it’s convoluting it more but we have to be compensated, it’s ridiculous

I don't mind it. Some of these kids are jets and they wouldn't be playing footy otherwise.

There shouldn't be compensation for it or free agents IMO.

Furthermore it seems like bad timing to complain about it now with a good chance if Richmond having pick 1 next year and tanner Armstrong ranked high atm

[Andyy]

There's just too many top tier academy prospects.

The ideal was to supposedly offset the lack of F/S options but GCS gets 4 this year and we've had what 4 F/S picks in the last 20 years?

F/S can stay IMO, it's fine/not the problem.

Academy selections should just be limited to 1/year, then the club has to trade up to get a suitable pick for the second.

[ajGreen]

There's just too many top tier academy prospects.

The ideal was to supposedly offset the lack of F/S options but GCS gets 4 this year and we've had what 4 F/S picks in the last 20 years?

F/S can stay IMO, it's fine/not the problem.

Academy selections should just be limited to 1/year, then the club has to trade up to get a suitable pick for the second.

It sounds like the new rules next draft will ease much of the issues.

Already looking like it's going to take some work for Carlton and Port to get Walker, Cochrane.

Maybe Richmond too depending how good Armstrong plays. 1

But yeah gold coast and Brisbane look pretty sorted for a while

[ajGreen]

What I think is bollocks is the druggies nga zones having millions of immigrants family's that play football and Richmond were given ten square km in the middle of no where with 4 people and a dog.

[Tiger Khosh]

What is the bombers zone exactly? They said during the draft yesterday that if CDT’s dad was born outside in Sri Lanka like his grandparents were then he would have been in their academy. So do they just have first dibs on all children of immigrants because that is one hell of a zone if they do.

[one-eyed]

Top 15 draft picks at each club after last night’s #AFLDraft

Gold Coast 15
GWS 15
North Melbourne 13
Essendon 13
Melbourne 12
Richmond 12
Carlton 10
Adelaide 10
St Kilda 10
Brisbane 9
Port Adelaide 9
Western Bulldogs 9
Fremantle 9
Sydney 7
Collingwood 7
Geelong 7
West Coast 6
Hawthorn 5

https://x.com/BradKlibansky/status/1991258304384000404