2016 National Draft Review

[Jezza]

We've selected four players in the National Draft which consists of the following:

1). Sam McLarty (#30)
2). Callum Brown (#35)(F/S)
3). Kayle Kirby (#50)
4). Josh Daicos (#57)(F/S)

I'm over the moon that we secured Brown and Daicos without any great difficulty. Brown is rated more highly than Daicos at this stage but there's a lot to work with here. The nostalgia of securing them both makes it great and should give the club a lift.

McLarty is what we needed as we lack depth in key position defenders. He's had injuries, most notably with his shoulder, but I understand the selection that Dekka has made here so I'm happy with this.

The selection of Kirby is the one with the most risk out of the four players, but there's huge upside here if Kirby can get his fitness in order. As others have noted, he does resemble similar footy traits to Andrew Krakouer so I like the comparison between the two.

All things considered, I'm happy with our selections. It'll take about 3 to 5 years to determine whether this is a successful draft, but in the short-term I'm cautiously optimistic about the players we've drafted.

What do other posters think?

[Pi]

From what I can see there dosn't seem to be any key position defenders drafted this year. Anyone know how many in development?

[cityslick1]

Mclarty is a KPD, though can swing forward... which the club seems to like. Ala White & Reid, it gives us flexibility in case all of Moore, Cox and White go down, and we need a big target up forward.

The balance of the side and corresponding positions will develop during the upcoming seasons, but Reid, Dunn & Keefe are seen as out other KPD's.. with the latter still developing. Whilst White can also go back there to fill Reid's spot, if need be.

Up forward is potentially even thinner, though we have v strong marking small and med forwards on our list... with Moore and Cox the developing key forwards, and White the mature KPF. Who gets a spot in the starting 22 will depend on form and how the side settles.

.................................................

For this draft, its the 2nd year in a row that the first draft choice's name has meant little to me. Hine seems to a) love a smokey, and b) be obsessed with 'potential upside',a nd c) still be tempted by talented players with x-factor, but with major fitness queries.

Ala Chris Egan, Shannon Cox, Brayden Sier, KK, that other WA rookie from a couple of years ago...

Mclarty also seems a bit of a gamble - though his highlights do look quite good - and he can hopefully become our next B Reid... but with B Cox, Battle, Rotham, Macreadie, Maibaum & Kerr still on the table, he'll be looking stupid if any one of these boys turns out to be a gun.

Lot a highly touted boys taken after 50 as well, so he must've seen problems in all of them, to go with a 181cm / 96kg boy that needs to embrace an AFL fitness regime that many current players struggle to keep up with.

As always, we wait in hope...

[Presti35]

B Cox and Battle were all the rage like 2 days ago. Kind of cant believe they went so late. But thats what I get for reading too many phantom drafts I guess.

[qldmagpie67]

I like the selections we made
Brown & Daicos were no brainers. Both have been held back in development in some ways but have huge upsides. Not taking them would have seen riots in the streets.
McLarty is a equal of any KPP left at our pick. We should remember in the next draft there is 11 players at 194cm+ in the national academy so depending on our draft pick next year we can add at least one more good tall.
Kirby gives us something we have lacked for a few years pure X factor. Yeah his fitnes might not be the best but that's one thing that you can improve fairly easily. What you can't coach is his vision and the magic he brings.
We have been very one dimensional for a couple years now adding Wells Treloar and now Kirby Brown Daicos gives us 5 players with more than a touch of class and skills.
The thing of Daicos he may be the one with th biggest upside. His foot skills are exceptional and he like Pendles makes things look easy

[Pies4shaw]

Referring to Collingwood list management decisions as "no brainers" has been officially frowned upon since that expression was used by one of our 2 former 2016 Football Managers in connection with the promotion of Gault to the senior list during the last preseason.

[Piethagoras' Theorem]

McLarty and Kirby seem like good selections, types that look to fill areas we're lacking in so no complaints there. Brown looks like the pick of the father sons although Daics, out of the 4 appears to be the only one to consistently hit a target (may have to check highlights packages again to confirm). All in all I think we played it fairly safe, no huge surprises. With the 1st pick at 30 it's unlikely any of them is going to set the world on fire but you never know.

[Seth]

[MatthewBoydFanClub]

I'm a little bit measured in my praise of the club in last night's draft. We were very lucky that no club bid for Callum Brown earlier. McLarty seems like a good selection. Is he the first deaf player recruited by an AFL club? Brendan Cox would have been a good pick up as well if he had been available with our next pick.

With Broomhead burning the house down at training we now have a surplus of small forwards so why recruit another small forward in Kirby? Kirby reminds me a little bit of Abbott. He could be a good pick up but our immediate need is for more KPP's and another ruckman. Are we just planning to load up on ruckmen and KPP's in the rookie draft and repeat the same mistakes of the past in recruiting types like Gault and Wyatt, who are good athletes, but are never going to be good enough to play AFL.

Let's hope White, Moore and Grundy have injury free seasons next year, because if they don't, our senior coach could be looking for a new job in 2018.

[Pies4shaw]

Well, Moore and Grundy, anyway - an entire season of White in the senior team sounds like a threat. Happily, that hasn't happened, so far.

[AN_Inkling]

Those worried about balance: none of Brown, Daicos or Kirby will walk into the team and there's no guarantee any of them becomes a regular senior player. They are also three very different types and all can play a position other than forward (Kirby, as a type, could replace Marley in defence).

These are late picks. You select for upside and unique traits, which is why the Phantoms never have any idea beyond pick 25. Solid players that have performed well at junior level is who the Phantoms will rate, but recruiters look well beyond the stats.

McLarty was actually the second KPP taken in the draft. He had been rated more highly before getting injured, above any of Battle, Kerr, Maibaum, Cox, etc. I'm always wary of drafting talls, but we may have done ok here. I'd have been less happy with those other tall options listed.

[qldmagpie67]

[Pies4shaw]

We picked who we had to pick, Qld. It's the horrific echoes of the "no brainer" comment that worry me. We should expunge it from our vocabularies.

[qldmagpie67]

[Culprit]

Considering our first pick was at 30, I don't understand why the expectations were so high.