Looking back: 2003-2006 drafts

[one-eyed]

Stumbled across Weaver's past phantom drafts on BF. Makes for some interesting reading in hindsight looking back at the players we picked up.

2006:

http://www.bigfooty.com/forum/showthread.php?t=279879

7. Daniel Connors- drafted pick 58
Connors has the appeal of being able to play both inside and outside. In close he has quick reflexes, vision and awareness to thread handballs through gaps only he sees. Outside he can tuck the pill under his arm, carry and kick with penetration and accuracy. Also has a handy high-mark in his locker. Not completely dissimilar to Heath Black and should be a solid third / fourth best midfielder in the AFL for 150 games. Ordering the midfielders is always tough but Connors should be one of the first to go.

10. Shane Edwards - drafted pick 26
Very much an outside winger with electric pace and long-kicking. Loves open-spaces and showed some toughness in the SANFL that belied his light frame. Can be wasteful when he runs too far and doesn’t steady before kicking. Has good form in senior company, finishing the season very strongly and moving up the draft board. Has no left foot which could be a problem.

33. Jack Reiwoldt - drafted pick 13
A slow centreman in a KP player’s body. Takes very short steps when he runs which can give the impression of running on the spot. Gets his marks from superior reading of the play and anticipation. Lack of athleticism should seem him be the dropper in this draft. Doesn’t get gaps on defenders which means he takes too many contested marks, relies on losing opponents in traffic and getting the ball at ground level. Hawks have never been too fussed about athleticism and won’t be shy about calling his name.

54. Carl Peterson – drafted pick 60
A 19 year old from country WA who was a late arrival in Perth, being invited down as part of the Clontarf Academy program. Missed most of last season with injury and OP but made an impressive 5-goal WAFL debut towards the end of the season. Despite being a year older than most and not coming through the Championship program he is unlikely to be missed. Did enough to win Claremont’s best first year player award. Could well be one who rises up the draft order and spoils many phantom drafts.

71. Tas Clingan - drafted as a rookie
Only really showed his talent in the finals campaign, which probably translates to rookie consideration at best. Thrived on the HBF where he could run at the contests, fly for spoils, swoop on crumbs and run and bounce. Turns defence into attack with good pace and long kicking.

[one-eyed]

2005:

http://www.bigfooty.com/forum/showthread.php?t=205391

6. Cleve Hughes - drafted pick 24
Franklin shapes as more a mobile flanker, and Roughead probably a CHB. Hughes is more a genuine contester and corridor player who works hard to secure front position and mark in his hands. He and Tom Murphy in the key spots with Franklin playing off them looks a good future forward line. Hughes is not an eye-catcher, more a John Barker type who can create crumbs and do OK when the ball hits the deck. Good long kick. Brings running players into the game with handball – that ability probably suits him to CHF more than FF. What they do here would depend on whether they go or short at 3. If Kennedy falls to 3 they could take Swallow here. Hughes and Dowler are similar and both need gym work.

10. Jarrad Oakley-Nicholls – drafted pick 8
A genuine wingman with real flair. Kicks the ball well, has some tricks and pace, and at 186cm has enough height that you can kick to him on the switch of play. Wide open spaces of Subi should suit. Freo need some extra dash through the middle and someone to kick to leading forwards. Again being a local boy won’t hurt. Ryder might be the other option for them to add depth to the forward line. Oakley-Nicholls’ flair will appeal to a rather pedestrian, workmanlike outfit.

33. Angus Graham - drafted as a rookie
Will the Saints take some ruck insurance? Probably don’t have to use this early a pick but may go for Graham. Played mostly schoolboys so is a bit underdeveloped and needs a fair bit of schooling. At 198 he has enough height and can pinch hit up forward too. A little inconsistent. Having tried to combine school in the county, rep footy with Tassie and club footy in Melbourne he is someone who could blossom in a more settled environment. Trent West would be the other contender but he tended to go missing in big games.

34. Travis Casserley - drafted pick 40
Shapes as a Subi special. Long striding, running wingman who likes to carry the ball and kick long. Needs to improve man on man work but looks the kind who would thrive in space and the Eagles have taken his type quite a lot in the past, store them away and bring them out in three years. Still very light and very much a receiver. Not too many pacy options left though. Kristian Thornton is another similar player, could look at either. Hard to call what the Eagles need so they will probably go best available all the way.

47. Matt White - drafted PSD pick 5
Missing the bulk of the finals series and the under-18 championships will see his stock fall and he will probably be a rookie-list candidate as a consequence. Has good allround game and the stamina to keep going for a full match. AFL clubs love pace in their utilities and he certainly has that.

[one-eyed]

2004:

http://www.bigfooty.com/forum/showthread.php?t=138047

1. Brett Deledio - drafted pick 1
trading away Fiora makes this selection more likely. Deledio can be the dashing defender that Fiora never was, before he takes on ruck-rover duties in a couple of years time. His ability to play anywhere other than ruck has to appeal to a rebuilding team. Leadership qualities will be the sealer.

5. Richard Tambling - drafted pick 4
Hawks would like a CHF to be available here but there isn't really one. They might be tempted to take ruckman Cam Wood here. Tambling is probably a best-available pick and they certainly lack pace. They might not be too keen to take someone who will struggle to play for 3 years and Tambling is super-light. Maybe they see him as a goalsneak short-term and Clarkson saw the Burgoynes thrive first-hand.

13. Danny Meyer - drafted pick 12
I think Ryan Jackson, Meyer and Chris Egan are similar players. The temptation will be to take them here. For mine Jackson is the safest of them, Egan the most talented and Meyer right in between. Melbourne like drafted SA kids they seem well connected there.

25. Dean Limbach - drafted pick 52
I am guessing they will want a key position player. There are heaps of similarly talented ones arounf and it is super tough to pick them. Limbach is from the old Carlton zone of Coburg. Is a big solid, hard worker who will appeal. They may want someone more mobile but Pagan tends to like his defenders to be big solid blokes.

33. Dean Polo - drafted pick 20
Can look ungainly but is very effective and is good insurance against them losing one of their young midfielders to a rival club. Can play inside or outside and has good stamina.

44. Mitchell Morton - West Coast father/son pick 44
By junior standards a good midfielder, by AFL standards more of an outside wngman. Lacks a defensive side to his game but has plenty of flair and class. Would have gone top-10.

49. Will Thursfield - drafted as a rookie
Another club which would like some insurance for the key defensive posts. Thursfield is a lighter type who tends to back himself but is talented and again the success of Rivers, Cornes and Bowden might pave the way for the lighter, athletic CHB.

50. Luke McGuane - drafted pick 36
There is a clutch of super-raw QLD bigmen this year. Lions have ruck options so might overlook Moran. That still leaves Garner, McGuane, West all of whom are too young to rookie list. I think Luke McGunae is the most talented of the group.

On the fringes: Adam Pattison - drafted pick 16
...key forward or perhaps defender who will come into rookie list calculation or could be picked in the draft.

[one-eyed]

2003:

http://www.bigfooty.com/forum/showthread.php?t=91101

29. Kyle Archibald - drafted pick 81
Tall 190cm utility type which is the kind of guys the Swans love and that thrives on the smaller SCG. Can play forward, can play wing. Probably not clean enough a mark to be a KP in the big stuff. Bit timid for a guy his size as well.

37. Tom Roach - drafted as father/son pick 37
Huge reach for this rookie-list calibre centreman. Reads the play well, is smart and has some class. But needs bulk and is a couple of levels off AFL at the moment.

51. Nathan Foley - drafted as a rookie
The first of the 'samey' inside midfielders of which their are 20-30 to choose from in any year. I am a Foley fan and so I put him in, but it could be anyone. Hawks will probably taking Tallis here.

[wayne]

33. Jack Reiwoldt - drafted pick 13
Doesn’t get gaps on defenders which means he takes too many contested marks...

Better than not taking them...

[wayne]

The Craziness Of The 2004 AFL Draft - Richmond
AFL Insider - June 2008

1 Brett Deledio

4 Richard Tambling

12 Danny Meyer

16 Adam Pattison

20 Dean Polo

36 Luke McGuane

52 Dean Limbach

65 Mark Graham

72 Pass

Who your team picked

THE CLUB SAYS "We went in aiming to get a variety of players - some midfielders, some talls and a couple of utilities - and we think we've come out with a decent mix. We were more than happy to take Tambling on board after Hawthorn took (Jarryd) Roughead, because we rate him very highly; we rated all of the top four. We've got a couple of guys who can be thrown around anywhere. It's going to be the department of youth at Richmond next year with the boys we took last year, so Graham appealed as a senior body, not only to stand up in games but to teach these kids as well." - Greg Beck, Richmond recruiting manager

The infamous Richmond draft of 2004, they certainly had a lot of picks to use. One superstar, four other players who get regular games, probably not a big enough return.

Deledio is great but they need a couple more like him, Richmond want to play him at half back, full forward and in the middle. The good thing for Richmond is that Deledio has the size, athleticism and skills to play in all those positions. He was the number 1 pick so this was expected.

Tambling and Meyer were draft mistakes. Too small, picked too high, Richmond need to trade them out to give the players a fresh start elsewhere.

Something that Richmond didn't do in many drafts was try to find help for Richardson. Both Pattison and McGuane were drafted as possible forwards, while that didn't really happen it didn't stop those players from contributing. Pattison is the backup ruckman and McGuane has found a spot in the back line.

http://www.aflinsider.net/the-craziness-of-the-2004-afl-draft-richmond/

[Tigermonk]

if they not coached & drilled properly it all means nothing

[Stripes]

On the fringes: Adam Pattison - drafted pick 16
...key forward or perhaps defender who will come into rookie list calculation or could be picked in the draft.

How the hell did we end up with Patto at 16 if he was expeected to go as a rookie???

I think we will see Meyers and Polo come good to be honest! Hughes is the great enigma to me. Just wish he could step up in the F50 because of all the places on the ground it is the one area we look extremely thin....

Stripes

[wayne]

On the fringes: Adam Pattison - drafted pick 16
...key forward or perhaps defender who will come into rookie list calculation or could be picked in the draft.

How the hell did we end up with Patto at 16 if he was expeected to go as a rookie???

I think we will see Meyers and Polo come good to be honest! Hughes is the great enigma to me. Just wish he could step up in the F50 because of all the places on the ground it is the one area we look extremely thin....

Stripes

Looking back he's probably deserving of a selection in the actual draft, but maybe 16 was a little high.

[mightytiges]

On the fringes: Adam Pattison - drafted pick 16
...key forward or perhaps defender who will come into rookie list calculation or could be picked in the draft.

How the hell did we end up with Patto at 16 if he was expeected to go as a rookie???

Weaver had him as a rookie. IIRC others had Patto all over the place in phantom draft - as a late first, 2nd or even a early 3rd round pick.

They had Scott Clayton on 3aw today and he said the doggies went for Griffen over Buddy because they wanted to build a super midfield. Buddy's attitude made him classed as a potential "miss" if it went the wrong way compared to the other top picks. It turned out the attitude went the right way on the footy field. One club has apparently said it wouldn't have taken Buddy even if he had been available at pick 100.

[jackstar]

I didnt have Patto rated at all and i was involved
For what its worth, I actually spotted Polo,
Also, in my opinion Travis Cloke was easily the best player in that draft at the time

[julzqld]

But at the time, there was no way we were going to get Travis Cloke as Mrs Cloke wanted all her boys at the same club.

[jackstar]

I know for a fact that David didnt want him at Richmond due to current staff there.

[Francois Jackson]

But at the time, there was no way we were going to get Travis Cloke as Mrs Cloke wanted all her boys at the same club.

one day its mrs cloke who wanted her boys to play in the one club, then the next day its mr cloke.
bottom line who would want their sons to go to richmond.

as i have said before we are a melbourne version of the fremantle football club, we really are..

pattison should be playing at coburg and i blame the selection committee for that, not him.
we have to give Angus a go for crying out loud and why not promote one of the talls from the rookie.

[mightytiges]

Patto's playing because Simmo can't ruck alone even if Simmo was 100% fit. We are still paying for recruiting mistakes made 6-7 years ago. Remember Simmo was a trade. Spud (and Beck) never drafted a young ruckman in his 5 years  . Cartledge is just a VFL player too even if he wasn't a rookie.

Beck told Damir we only wanted Travis whereas the Pies fed the Clokes crap about wanting all three yet dumped the first 2 as soon as they got their hands on Travis. Damir then has a sook about it  .