NAB AFL U18 National Championships 2007

[bluey_21]

hartlett too young, gun mid next year. At this early stage looks like he is competing with Naitunai for a richmond guernsey next year   

[Ramps]

I think a PP and 1st pick next year is what we need. NATANUI and HARTLETT are getting big wraps. In order to achieve this we have to go full bore youth now and load up on youth this year getting rid of senior players who only ever deliver cheap wins. There is dead set no point getting cheap wins this year and no point finishing with 10 wins next year.

[Gordon Bennett]

These seem to be the names bandied around the web and press to make up the top 30-35.

Matthew Kruezer (VM)
Trent Cotchin (VM)
Jack Grimes (VM)
Chris Masten (WA)
Lachlan Henderson (VC)
Bradley Ebert (SA)
Rhys Palmer (WA)
Cale Morton (WA)
Jarad Grant (VM)
Ben McEvoy (VC)

Marlan Motlop (NT)
Tom Bellchambers (TAS)
David Myers (WA)
Cyril Rioli (NT)
Tony Notte (WA)
Callan Ward (VM)
Tom Collier (TAS)
Pat Veszpremi (VM)
Scott Selwood (VC)
Tom McNamara (SA)

Adam Maric (VM)
James Wundke (SA)
Steven Gaertner (VM)
James Mulligan (QLD)
Brent Connelly (VC)
Tayte Pears (WA)
James Polkinghorne (VM)
Luke Potts (VM)
Ashley Arrowsmith (VM)
Scott Simpson (VM)

Mitchell Farmer (VM)
De Bruin (VM)
Dan McKenna (VC)
Hamish Hartlett (SA)
Tom Holmes (SA)

Personally, I'd add:
 Hurley VM
Daniher VM
Sullivan VM

and I also liked the look of Kriston Thompson SA

[bluey_21]

IIRC hurley is next year as well

[one-eyed]

Pics from the Vic Metro vs Vic Country match today:

http://aflphotos.com.au/search/results/?q=collection:2007%20NAB%20AFL%20Under%2018%20Championships%20-%20Vic%20Country%20v%20Vic%20Metro%20(LC)

[one-eyed]

Chris Masten

Sandgropers new kings of juniors
Emma Quayle | July 12, 2007

IN PAST years, two types of teams have turned up to the AFL's under-18 championships. There have been teams filled with talented, draftable players who haven't been able to win games.

Then there have been squads filled with less gifted types, who the recruiters have been less keen to see, but who have come together much better and won.

This year, Western Australia did a little bit of both. In 2006, it lost all three matches at the national carnival, having entered with the most highly rated team. Still, it had 16 players make AFL lists come draft time.

This year, its squad was considered less talented than the Vic Metro line-up, but had eight players make the All-Australian squad and won all three games by large margins. A 77-point win over South Australia at Casey Fields yesterday clinched the title.

Cale Morton won the Larke Medal as the best division one player, one vote ahead of teammate Rhys Palmer. After dominating the first two games, Palmer has made sure clubs will keep an eye on him for the rest of the year.

Morton, Chris Masten and David Myers will be snapped up reasonably early in the draft, with fellow All-Australians Patrick McGinnity and Alex Rance enhancing their own chances and Daniel Rich and Nick Naitanui becoming two to watch for next year. Morton is the younger brother of West Coast player Mitch and Hawthorn's Jarryd, an agile 192-centimetre player who can fill almost any spot on the ground.

Vic Metro was afflicted with the problem WA once had, if not to the same extent. After being thumped by WA in their first match, the Victorians responded with two wins, their eight-goal victory over Vic Country leaving them in second place overall.

They had four members of their highly rated squad make the All-Australian team — Matthew Kreuzer, Addam Maric, captain Jack Grimes and Michael Hurley, who held down full-back throughout the carnival, but is not old enough to be drafted this season.

The West Australians' win was their first since the likes of Paul Hasleby, Darren Glass, Adam Hunter, Joel Corey, Chance Bateman and Leon Davis played in their 1999 title.

They won in 1985, with a team featuring John Worsfold, Peter Sumich, Guy McKenna, Scott Watters, Paul Peos, Chris Lewis and Chris Waterman, and AFL talent manager Kevin Sheehan expects a similar number of AFL players to emerge from the current group.

"We always emphasise that this championship is about two things — trying to win the title but about ensuring everyone who has a chance to get drafted or make the AFL is given every opportunity," he said.

http://realfooty.com.au/news/news/sandgropers-new-kings-of-juniors/2007/07/11/1183833599055.html

[one-eyed]

 
2008 Prospect: WA's Nicholas Naitanui takes a strong mark.

WA midfield pick of crop
12 July 2007   Herald Sun
Gareth Trickey

VICTORIAN clubs are expected to look interstate for the next crop of AFL midfielders.

Two recruiting managers at yesterday's national under-18 championships at Casey Fields, Cranbourne, emphasised the gap between the midfields of Victoria's two under-18 sides and that of Western Australia.

Melbourne recruiting manager Craig Cameron and Geelong's Stephen Wells said the biggest talking point to come out this year's titles was the dominance of WA's midfield.

"I think there is a lack of midfielders outside of WA," Cameron said.

"There's a fair number of talls but I'm not sure there is a lot of pace across the teams."

Wells said AFL clubs preferred to take a broad view of the under-18 competition this early in the year and had not compared the strengths and weaknesses of this year's players with previous years.

"Our job is to know all the players we think are potential AFL players and all the different positions (they can play)," Wells said. "Later on in the year we will assess exactly what our needs are."

AFL talent manager Kevin Sheehan said the strength of the ruckmen and medium-sized midfielders this year compensated for a lack of depth among teams.

He said the under-18 national championship served as a preview of what was on offer at this year's AFL draft camp.

"I think there is no doubt the medium midfielders and ruckmen are as good as any other year," Sheehan

"There might not be some of the key-position players, but it ebbs and flows. Some years you might have a lot of tall defenders or a lot of forwards."

WA confirmed its status as the premier under-18 team this year with a win against South Australia yesterday in the Division 1 grand final.

WA controlled the game from the first bounce to win by 77 points, 20.11 (131) to 8.6 (54).

Rhys Palmer was awarded most valuable player for Western Australia.

Teammate Cale Morton, brother of Hawthorn's Jarryd and West Coast's Mitch, claimed the Larke Medal for the Division 1 best-and-fairest.

Vic Metro beat Vic County by 48 points in their intrastate hitout, 17.8 (110) to 9.8 (62). Northern Knights ruckman Matthew Kreuzer was the best for Vic Metro and North Ballarat's Nick Suban was named the most valuable player for Vic Country.

http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/footy/common/story_page/0,8033,22059292%255E19742,00.html

[Gordon Bennett]

IIRC hurley is next year as well

You're right. Too young by a month.

[mightytiges]

I think a PP and 1st pick next year is what we need. NATANUI and HARTLETT are getting big wraps. In order to achieve this we have to go full bore youth now and load up on youth this year getting rid of senior players who only ever deliver cheap wins. There is dead set no point getting cheap wins this year and no point finishing with 10 wins next year.

The problem is could the club afford another season like this year. The pressure for change within the footy dept would be immense. Financially we aren't out of the woods yet and there may be a dip in membership numbers next year if we again fail to win any games early on. 

In any case the AFL may change the draft rules again if Carlton ends up with the first pick despite not finishing last.

[mightytiges]

These seem to be the names bandied around the web and press to make up the top 30-35.

Matthew Kruezer (VM)
Trent Cotchin (VM)
Jack Grimes (VM)
Chris Masten (WA)
Lachlan Henderson (VC)
Bradley Ebert (SA)
Rhys Palmer (WA)
Cale Morton (WA)
Jarad Grant (VM)
Ben McEvoy (VC)

Marlan Motlop (NT)
Tom Bellchambers (TAS)
David Myers (WA)
Cyril Rioli (NT)
Tony Notte (WA)
Callan Ward (VM)
Tom Collier (TAS)
Pat Veszpremi (VM)
Scott Selwood (VC)
Tom McNamara (SA)

Adam Maric (VM)
James Wundke (SA)
Steven Gaertner (VM)
James Mulligan (QLD)
Brent Connelly (VC)
Tayte Pears (WA)
James Polkinghorne (VM)
Luke Potts (VM)
Ashley Arrowsmith (VM)
Scott Simpson (VM)

Mitchell Farmer (VM)
De Bruin (VM)
Dan McKenna (VC)
Hamish Hartlett (SA)
Tom Holmes (SA)

Personally, I'd add:
Hurley VM
Daniher VM
Sullivan VM

and I also liked the look of Kriston Thompson SA

Thanks GB and bluey. Taking away Hurley and Hartlett who are ineligible for this year's draft, that leaves just 37 names. If we end up with say picks 2, 18, 20, 36 ... we'll only scrape into the third round of the draft before looking at a Silvester or Neville at pick 50 say. We need to hold onto our PP.

Shame about Naitanui. In that pic his hands make the footy look like one of those little kid size one.

[bluey_21]

regardless, naitunai (correct spelling?) is still a project type.

If he was available this year I wouldn't take him (kicking action not perfect, still has plenty to learn about positioning around the ground, still very raw). A year is a long time, and next year he may be a gun prospect

[one-eyed]

Pics from WA vs SA

http://aflphotos.com.au/search/results/?q=collection:2007%20NAB%20AFL%20Under%2018%20Championships%20-%20Western%20Australia%20v%20South%20Australia%20(LC)

[mightytiges]

regardless, naitunai (correct spelling?) is still a project type.

If he was available this year I wouldn't take him (kicking action not perfect, still has plenty to learn about positioning around the ground, still very raw). A year is a long time, and next year he may be a gun prospect

A bit like JON eh

The aflphotos pic of Naitunai easily out-reaching his SA opponent in the ruck is freaky 

[bluey_21]

perhaps, but if you were to see JON pre-drafting he was actually pretty good, don't know why his skills have gone down hill. prob down on confidence

[mightytiges]

perhaps, but if you were to see JON pre-drafting he was actually pretty good, don't know why his skills have gone down hill. prob down on confidence

Even if confidence is to blame it's then a massive drop off to what you'd expect in terms of skills and decision making from a first round draftee. Maybe against kids in junior footy JON may have gotten away with it. More time and space especially in WA footy.

I can see why JON was drafted as there's heaps of upside to his game outside of his kicking and decision making. He's also currently lacking match-fitness due to missing the whole preseason. However kids with suspect kicking and decision making should not go first round. It wasn't just Richmond either that considered JON an early pick. Every single phantom draft had him in their first round selections. Peterson was pick 60 (granted different draft) and that's where IMO JON should have been picked up.