2016 Draft | PUNT ROAD END | Richmond Tigers Forum
  • IMPORTANT // Please look after your loved ones, yourself and be kind to others. If you are feeling that the world is too hard to handle there is always help - I implore you not to hesitate in contacting one of these wonderful organisations Lifeline and Beyond Blue ... and I'm sure reaching out to our PRE community we will find a way to help. T.

2016 Draft

Smoking Aces

Batten Down The Hatches
Sep 21, 2007
20,616
18,114
Make no mistake people the season is shot. We are in line for a top 10 pick.

Bullus, SCOOP and any other junior expert fire away. Which are the kids we need to keep an eye out for?
 

St Kevin

Tiger Legend
Apr 1, 2014
7,178
6,136
If we are rebuilding, it would have been nice to have our 2nd round pick instead of frittering it away on a bloke who wanted out from his old club and probably isn't going to play until the middle of the year.
 

Scoop

Tiger Legend
Dec 8, 2004
24,931
13,972
Super early. But there is some depth in the midfield. Doesn’t appear to be the top tier key position players but they will show themselves.

Hopefully everyone now understands how short we are for midfielders and kicking skills. Our first tier spine is pretty healthy. Rance & Riewoldt will be All Australian again. Bookends.

For me, our midfield can be fixed via the draft quick. We will need a first ruck quick as well but the only way to get a fix right away is to go Free Agency or trade. Needs to be addressed in the draft with some youth later in the draft or rookie list. I’ve said for years should rookie a ruck every year.

But we only have a first round pick at this stage. I’d be looking for some combination of pace and kicking skills.
 

Baloo

Delisted Free Agent
Nov 8, 2005
44,113
18,924
You guys are way too slow.

http://puntroadend.com/yabbse/index.php?topic=51924.msg1949810#msg1949810
 

Stylo

Tiger Champion
Oct 13, 2012
3,678
443
Based on the very cursory reading I've done so far, I like the sound of Powell-Pepper
 

ToraToraTora

Two outta three ain't bad.
Mar 21, 2005
12,662
5,395
QLD
I know nothing, but I would bite the bullet and draft the WA ruck Goddard. I'm sick of of our contempt for the position.
 

bullus_hit

Whatchu talkin about Jack?
Apr 3, 2006
15,227
5,668
If we do land a top 10 pick, something which isn't beyond the realms of possibility, then Ben Ainsworth might be the best available, he's short but incredibly skilled. Some are suggesting top 5 but 178cm players rarely go that high. Reckon he'll be 6-10 range.
 

mrposhman

Tiger Legend
Oct 6, 2013
17,850
21,180
bullus_hit said:
If we do land a top 10 pick, something which isn't beyond the realms of possibility, then Ben Ainsworth might be the best available, he's short but incredibly skilled. Some are suggesting top 5 but 178cm players rarely go that high. Reckon he'll be 6-10 range.

The Dogs will steal him with Pick 46 like they did with Caleb Daniel.
 

bullus_hit

Whatchu talkin about Jack?
Apr 3, 2006
15,227
5,668
mrposhman said:
The Dogs will steal him with Pick 46 like they did with Caleb Daniel.

The Doggies have got their house in order with recruiting, Daniel was another very astute selection. Here's what I had to say about him last year.

bullus_hit said:
Pick 52 Richmond - Caleb Daniel (South Adelaide)
167cm, 68 kg
Forward / Midfielder

My love for midgets seems to be growing by the year and perhaps I'm even suffering from the incredible shrinking man syndrome, but I have the highest respect for Caleb Daniel and what he's managed to achieve this year. Coming back from a lengthy stint on the sidelines he pulled on his Croweater guernsey and produced the most memorable 3 games of football I can recall at the u/18 carnival. I'll start by going over his stats, he averaged 20 disposals, 5 tackles, 4 clearances, 2 goals and still managed to achieve that feat at the freakish DE of 92%. To top it off he registered 217 Champion Data points in round 5 which must be some sort of record for a midfielder at this event.

Now I'm not one to get too carried away with feats at the carnival, particularly when it involves sub 170cm players, but Daniel has taken this form all the way to SANFL seniors and has proven he won't be a pushover when playing against men. It's remarkable to think a 68kg lightweight can make an impact in senior football but Daniel has simply risen to every challenge thrown at him. Over the course of his 11 games he managed to average 17 possessions & 3 tackles, all done at 84% disposal efficiency, but more impressive was his finals campaign where he thrived under the intense pressure of cut throat football. In his first match against the Eagles he picked up 16 touches and hit the scoreboard with 2 majors, in week two he notched up 24 touches & 3 clearances, and in week three a further 20 disposals and 4 clearances. How is it possible for such a diminutive guy to produce such quality?

Having followed the career of Boomer Harvey it's clear to me that to make it at the highest level one has to have a flawless rap sheet. When it comes to Caleb Daniel I think he ticks off every key indicator. His aerobic fitness levels are on par with Billy Hartung so there will be absolutely no problem with running out games, his speed is good having run a 2.99sec/20 metre sprint and his agility is in the top 25%. There is of course the issue with weight but I feel with some careful management that Daniel can put on the required 5 kilos to truly become strong enough to compete with the bigger bodies.

Turning to his footballing ability, everything he does is bordering on silk. His handballing is elite and he rarely misses a target or picks a wrong option, his work this year would have made Diesel proud. His kicking is well above average and for a small guy he can kick long bombs from outside the 50 metre chalk. This is also complimented by his great spatial awareness, he is exceptionally adept at weighting his kicks to avoid oncoming traffic. As a true rover he also reads the play and can hit the packs at full pace, often using his agility to zig zag his way through enemy lines.

For some spending pick 52 is overs for a guy who has to confront the tide of history when it comes to being unconventionally short. He really only has Brent Harvey as a flag bearer and Boomer is a once in a generation player. But despite this I'm going to back him in to make the grade, he's only 3cm shorter than Jake Neade who recently played in a preliminary final so that gives me some sort of hope. Wherever he lands on draft day I'll be supporting him, it may only be as a rookie but provided he finds his way onto a list I'll be content in the knowledge that midgets still have a place in our great game.
 

St Kevin

Tiger Legend
Apr 1, 2014
7,178
6,136
bullus_hit said:
The Doggies have got their house in order with recruiting, Daniel was another very astute selection. Here's what I had to say about him last year.

Can you offer your services to RFC Bully? Not that those donkeys would have the sense to take you on.
 

bullus_hit

Whatchu talkin about Jack?
Apr 3, 2006
15,227
5,668
St Kevin said:
Can you offer your services to RFC Bully? Not that those donkeys would have the sense to take you on.

Thanks for the kind words Kev but the reality is the club has become very insular when it comes to recruitment, my recollection of Phantom's experiences has put things into perspective. For any meaningful change to occur I think we need a radical overhaul, I also suspect that it will only come when the coach receives his marching orders. This year is a write-off so maybe change will happen sooner rather than later. Hardwick got his extension so he has one last roll of the dice, for me it's got to be top 4 or bust, anything less is just placing the club in no-man's land.
 

Scoop

Tiger Legend
Dec 8, 2004
24,931
13,972
bullus_hit said:
If we do land a top 10 pick, something which isn't beyond the realms of possibility, then Ben Ainsworth might be the best available, he's short but incredibly skilled. Some are suggesting top 5 but 178cm players rarely go that high. Reckon he'll be 6-10 range.

I'm with you on Ainsworth. Just does everything well. And tackles. Supreme leader. I'd be happy with him as a top 5 pick. There's only 3 cm between Ainsworth and Sam Petrevski-Seton. Both are top shelf users by foot. I also like Will Brodie although I need to see more of him, slight question on kicking. Relly disappointed that at this stage we don't have a second round pick. I think that narrows the focus down for our first round pick, we need class ball winners.

This year Bully, I'd really like to keep updating this weekly. Keeping a real close eye on it the junior levels. My interest on the AFL will be secondary at times.
 

spook

Kick the f*ckin' goal
Jun 18, 2007
21,912
26,417
Melbourne
Ainsworth is a little ripper.

I might get to some under-18 games this year. How good does my boy Oliver look? That's the type we need.
 

Scoop

Tiger Legend
Dec 8, 2004
24,931
13,972
spook said:
Ainsworth is a little ripper.

I might get to some under-18 games this year. How good does my boy Oliver look? That's the type we need.

Will Brodie has a bit of that in him.