2021 Draft Thread | PUNT ROAD END | Richmond Tigers Forum
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2021 Draft Thread

Smoking Aces

Batten Down The Hatches
Sep 21, 2007
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Just curious. Draft central article suggests Long as a late to rookie selection. Reaching at 28?
Saw that as well. But others have had him as high as a first round selection. You could throw a blanket over a lot of kids from the 2nd round onwards.
 
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Smoking Aces

Batten Down The Hatches
Sep 21, 2007
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Unfortunately, as it stands right now Poking Faces, I’m not sure we’ll get access to Hobbs. Not completely out of the question, but unlikely I reckon. Ditto Ward.
I know Red but there is still a slight chance. If Andrews & Gibcus go early then he can still slide to us. If Hobbs can get past GC pick then I think we might be ours.

Horne - Norf
Daicos - Pies
Darcy - Dogs
GWS - Andrews
GC -Callaghan
Adelaide - Gibcus
Ward - Hawks
Johnson - Freo
Hobbs - Rich
 
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bullus_hit

Whatchu talkin about Jack?
Apr 3, 2006
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Saw that as well. But others have had him as high as a first round selection. You could throw a blanket over a lot of kids from the 2nd round onwards.
Think with guys like Long & Knevitt you need to stack their credentials up against a player like Contsable. You would probably want a quicker & more contested version, I have always pictured Constable to be on the slowish side, not particularly contested and not a player who uses his height advantage in marking contests.
 
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Smoking Aces

Batten Down The Hatches
Sep 21, 2007
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Think with guys like Long & Knevitt you need to stack their credentials up against a player like Contsable. You would probably want a quicker & more contested version, I have always pictured Constable to be on the slowish side, not particularly contested and not a player who uses his height advantage in marking contests.
I agree but Constable has no standout features. He is just a big sized mid. Long at least hits the scoreboard. I think from memory he played a fair bit of football this in the forward line, so has more upside in developing his inside game.

One things for sure I am with you on grabbing a 190cm plus midfielder in this draft. Its a must we do this. Who that is up for debate.
 
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Smoking Aces

Batten Down The Hatches
Sep 21, 2007
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Good selections but I reckon with Long you would be able to get him in the 30's to 40's, what's your view on Knevitt? another tall mid who's expected to go in the mid to late 20's

Mitch Knevitt (Geelong Falcons/Vic Country)​

Midfielder, 193cm, 81kg

A hulking inside midfielder, Knevitt wins contested ball in congestion and can haul in marks with his strong hands overhead. The Falcons prospect dominated in his final three NAB League games, averaging 30.3 disposals, 14.7 contested possessions and 6.3 marks.

Dan says: Ranking points hauls of 151, 136 and 165 to close out the season. A great size and showed he can be a marking presence up forward.

Jordan says: If he can put it together as a tall midfielder, he could prove very hard to stop around the ground.
Definitely another one we should consider. They are definitely handy numbers. Endurance also not an issue. 6.18 minutes in his 2km time trial.
 
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bullus_hit

Whatchu talkin about Jack?
Apr 3, 2006
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I agree but Constable has no standout features. He is just a big sized mid. Long at least hits the scoreboard. I think from memory he played a fair bit of football this in the forward line, so has more upside in developing his inside game.

One things for sure I am with you on grabbing a 190cm plus midfielder in this draft. Its a must we do this. Who that is up for debate.
Yeah, with players that height you would probably want one outstanding weapon. If you are drawing blanks & find yourself projecting a Constable or Hately then best to look elsewhere.

21. Jackson Hately
Central Districts/South Australia
Inside Midfielder
Height: 192 cm Weight: 80 kg


nnk4Ook.jpg


Player Projection: Matt Crouch

To be honest Hately has never excited me much, I find him as vanilla as an Eskimo Pie but fair play to the lad as he’s been playing senior football this year & hasn’t disgraced himself. I suppose he will attract some clubs looking for a big bodied midfielder who has a reasonably balanced game. The problem from my perspective is he doesn’t really hurt with his disposals and he doesn’t really have any standout athletic traits apart from being big. He’s a poor man’s version of Matt Crouch who relies on getting 35 touches every week. Don’t think Hately has that kind of potential & I can see him getting games but as that 5th or 6th best midfielder.
 
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Tortured Tiger

Junior Development - The Tigers key to success !!
Jan 24, 2005
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I agree but Constable has no standout features. He is just a big sized mid. Long at least hits the scoreboard. I think from memory he played a fair bit of football this in the forward line, so has more upside in developing his inside game.

One things for sure I am with you on grabbing a 190cm plus midfielder in this draft. Its a must we do this. Who that is up for debate.
I agree Smoking, I am keen to grab big bodied midfielder as well. Goater would be good but if we miss on him I think Knevitt has huge potential. His last month of football was as good as anyone and I thought he was more impressive than Hobbs in the last trial game. If we miss on them then Long would be a good option with one of our later picks, started the season in top form and has only slipped down rankings due to injury.
 
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bengal tigers

Tiger Superstar
Apr 29, 2015
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I agree Smoking, I am keen to grab big bodied midfielder as well. Goater would be good but if we miss on him I think Knevitt has huge potential. His last month of football was as good as anyone and I thought he was more impressive than Hobbs in the last trial game. If we miss on them then Long would be a good option with one of our later picks, started the season in top form and has only slipped down rankings due to injury.
You have to remember in those Vic trial games they where rotated around,Hobb's and Macdonald where put in the forward half,after playing the first half in the midfield.
I don't know whats the obsession is with big mids ,l wonder how the Demons would go having Chol pickett,and Astbury as rucks,instead of Gawn and Jackson.
 

bullus_hit

Whatchu talkin about Jack?
Apr 3, 2006
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You have to remember in those Vic trial games they where rotated around,Hobb's and Macdonald where put in the forward half,after playing the first half in the midfield.
I don't know whats the obsession is with big mids ,l wonder how the Demons would go having Chol pickett,and Astbury as rucks,instead of Gawn and Jackson.
Tall mids with aerial ability & a burst from the stoppage tend to have higher ceilings, Bont the best example but there's others like Yeo (although a lengthy project) & Fyfe who have multiple weapons in attack.

Goater is the player with the biggest upside in this regard, with an 80cm standing vertical jump and 2.92sec/20 metre sprint he has the tools, now it's just a question of fine tuning his skills. He can definitely get lifted.
 

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Tortured Tiger

Junior Development - The Tigers key to success !!
Jan 24, 2005
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You have to remember in those Vic trial games they where rotated around,Hobb's and Macdonald where put in the forward half,after playing the first half in the midfield.
I don't know whats the obsession is with big mids ,l wonder how the Demons would go having Chol pickett,and Astbury as rucks,instead of Gawn and Jackson.
Bontempelli does okay with very average rucks. I don't have an obsession with big mids I just think one of those guys would compliment what we already have and gives us more versatility. I am aware of that rotation with Vic Country but putting that aside Knevitt caught my eye for what he could offer and obviously has a very good tank which is another bonus.
 
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Redford

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Dec 18, 2002
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I know Red but there is still a slight chance. If Andrews & Gibcus go early then he can still slide to us. If Hobbs can get past GC pick then I think we might be ours.

Horne - Norf
Daicos - Pies
Darcy - Dogs
GWS - Andrews
GC -Callaghan
Adelaide - Gibcus
Ward - Hawks
Johnson - Freo
Hobbs - Rich
Yeah maybe. I’m not convinced Andrew goes as early as being predicted. Think a bit of bs might be floating around on that. Freo could have us (Johnson) and WCE (Erasmus) cornered if they decide to go that way. Who knows. What order do they have Johnson, Rachele and Hobbs in ? Hard to say.

But if Andrew does go before our 9, then yes Hobbs might come into play.

The way I see it, what we get access to is going to depend on a) Andrew and if he goes with GWS or GC potentially and then b) what Fremantle do.

Lot of different scenarios.
 
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Redford

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Dec 18, 2002
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So, that makes the first selection critical, what's you opening gambit Redford? Tall mid or medium mid with the first?
As clubs always say Infinitum every single year (and the punters still don’t get with endless questions every year about positional drafting), we’ll pick best available regardless of position - unless there’s players rated the equal and they tack to the positional preference between them. Clarke mentioned this (again) a couple of weeks ago.

To that end, and the way this Draft is being rated and shaped, mids dominate it and unless Gibcus slides then we’re in for a midfielder with our first pick and most likely our second as well. Which is good coz I don’t think the key position players are anything special this year. The quota or numbers of them means that maybe one, or possibly two of them might end up being ok, but compared to the quality and depth of the mids in this Draft it’s chalk and cheese. This could maybe be one of the best Drafts for depth of midfield quality.

I wouldn’t be unhappy if we went 4 straight mids in a row and set the future up in that particular part of the ground. Or, if they had a key position player in there that they rated after our second pick, fine. But I see hopefully a strong focus on the mids in this Draft.
 
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spook

Kick the f*ckin' goal
Jun 18, 2007
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Agree, Reds. But I don't know why people thing it's a 'must' we grab a 190cm+ mid. We didn't have one in our three flags. Melbourne doesn't have one. I think Yeo is 190 so West Coast just had one, and of course there's Bont (and Crumples but he doesn't count because he's always dropping a foot or two whenever someone comes near him).
 
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bullus_hit

Whatchu talkin about Jack?
Apr 3, 2006
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I wouldn’t be unhappy if we went 4 straight mids in a row and set the future up in that particular part of the ground. Or, if they had a key position player in there that they rated after our second pick, fine. But I see hopefully a strong focus on the mids in this Draft.
Absolutely firming on this strategy of four midfielders, I would even entertain bundling the two picks in the twenties if that allowed us a look in with Wanganeen-Milera, I think as a third selection it's not a bad approach. You could probably nab a midfield slider a bit further down the order. Not 100% sure that Butler goes as early as predicted, that really depends on how recruiters view his potential, small forward or legitimate centre square player.
 
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Redford

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Agree, Reds. But I don't know why people thing it's a 'must' we grab a 190cm+ mid. We didn't have one in our three flags. Melbourne doesn't have one. I think Yeo is 190 so West Coast just had one, and of course there's Bont (and Crumples but he doesn't count because he's always dropping a foot or two whenever someone comes near him).
I’m not in the ‘must’ category on that front. If they’re a decent player and happen to be 190, all the better maybe for a bit of ‘multi functionality’ and therefore risk mitigation, but I’m not wedded to it. Best player outright for me.
 
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Redford

Tiger Legend
Dec 18, 2002
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Absolutely firming on this strategy of four midfielders, I would even entertain bundling the two picks in the twenties if that allowed us a look in with Wanganeen-Milera, I think as a third selection it's not a bad approach. You could probably nab a midfield slider a bit further down the order. Not 100% sure that Butler goes as early as predicted, that really depends on how recruiters view his potential, small forward or legitimate centre square player.
Not unhappy with that as a strategy but personally, I’m just so-so on Milera. Think he has a larger risk factor than others around him. Butler a different story. Quite amazing how different he is to Dan.
 
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King Kong

Tiger Legend
Aug 26, 2016
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Bontempelli does okay with very average rucks. I don't have an obsession with big mids I just think one of those guys would compliment what we already have and gives us more versatility. I am aware of that rotation with Vic Country but putting that aside Knevitt caught my eye for what he could offer and obviously has a very good tank which is another bonus.
The significant advantage of big mids such as Dusty, Fyfe, Bont, Cripps, Yeo, Petracca is twofold.

1. Their ability to stand up in tackles for longer to get a handball away; and
2. They can go forward and be a very dangerous goal kicking option.

Small mids are either on the bench or on the ball.

As rotations drop and more time is required on ground for each player the bigger mids ability to rotate forward will be critical. Clubs have recognized this now and will favour the big mids in the draft over the smaller guys for sure - see JHF, Callaghan, Goater, Johnson & Erasmus - even Hobbs potentially. Its also a big reason i'm not as keen on Ward and Sonsie
 
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Tortured Tiger

Junior Development - The Tigers key to success !!
Jan 24, 2005
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Agree, Reds. But I don't know why people thing it's a 'must' we grab a 190cm+ mid. We didn't have one in our three flags. Melbourne doesn't have one. I think Yeo is 190 so West Coast just had one, and of course there's Bont (and Crumples but he doesn't count because he's always dropping a foot or two whenever someone comes near him).
The first thing to look at is if they are good enough regardless of height, but if they are up to standard and have some extra strings to their bow then why not, especially if it is something we don't have. Top class midfielders have come in all shapes and sizes over the years.
 
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