When I do my top 30, I won't be including detailed summary of these guys cause I think they are going to go in some order ahead of ours but this is how I rank them. I'll keep adding to this post as I go. From pick 6 will be how I rank them then I'll talk about who I like at our pick.
1. Matt Rowell - Reminds me of a better Luke Shuey.
1a) Noah Anderson- Midfield Jayden Stephenson.
3) Tom Green- Poor mans Josh Kennedy/ Patrick Cripps
4) Hayden Young - Love him to bits. Better version of Jordan Clark at Geelong.
5) Lachlan Ash- same as Jordan Clark from Geelong.
6) Caleb Serong- I'm not a huge fan. Reminds me of Jack Higgins.
Opens up after this but I reckon this is the top 6. Anything could happen from here but I have them this way.
7. Luke Jackson - 198cm/ 93kgs/ 29/09/2001- I’m a huge fan. Not for us as we are stocked for rucks but I haven’t been this excited about a ruck since Grundy. Not the same ceiling but close. Basketball background. There’s a piece of play in the last quarter versus Vic Country. Frist two minutes. He competes in the ruck, wins the hitout, ball hits the ground, back in the contest, wins a ball in traffic and blind turns in a second and handballs perfectly. The thinking and ability to execute are so good. Plays like an extra midfielder but could end up a center half forward. Reminds me of Corey McKernan at worst. Last four weeks of Colts after the champs.
Round 15, 22 touches, 2 marks, 3 tackles, 41 hit outs
Round 17, 25 touches, 4 marks, 1 tackle, 36 hit outs
Round 18 24 touches, 2 marks, 1 tackles, 27 hitouts, 1 goal.
Round 19, 16 touches, 4 marks, 31 hitouts 2 goals
If I’m Freo with two top 10 picks after the Hill trade, I take him.
8. Sam Flanders- Gippsland Power/Vic Country | Inside Midfielder/Forward
24/07/2001 | 182cm | 81kg
I’ve gone from thinking this boy is the next Robbie Gray to thinking he’s a man without a position, a poor mans Christian Petracca. Has magic, has power, has the ability to do the incredible, one on one in the 50 he’d make people nervous. I think the underrated thing about him is his use by foot, super damaging. Also has a basketball background and it shows by how good he is in tight at creating space in a marking contest or in a pack. Curious to see how he tests at the combine, if it is average he could be around at our pick but I doubt it. After his four goal first half and 27 disposals (16 contested), nine clearances and seven display I think clubs will have the midfield box ticked. I’ve come around.
Won’t last till our pick.
9. Dylan Stephens- 183cm/70kg. Already playing seniors at Norwood at 70kg. Norwood don’t push kids through, you earn your stripes. You can be outside but you can’t be soft. But at his own age level he slices through traffic at pace and wins loose balls with one touch and penetrates with a raking left foot. Just looks a footballer. Look at these finishes against men. One of them shows him starting in the centre square at SANFL level.
Think deluxe classier Tom Phillps. Bit of Stephen Hill about him. Bit of Josh Kelly even. In modern footy you can’t get enough of this type, runs all day. If he does well in the 3km trail, I could see top 7.
He’s my favourite outside of the top 6. Here’s some more.
10 Fisher McAsey – 195 cm 91 kg – Will get a lot of Aaron Naughton buzz. Can play both ends of the ground. If the draft was five years ago, he’d go top 5. For a big guy he reads the game really well peels off at the right time. Not a Balta type athlete but not far behind. Can close space so quickly. Perfect type for Hawthorn. Perfect key position for modern footy.