Greetings everyone and welcome back for our 16th season.
It has been another covid affected off-season, so I hope everyone managed to find some time to relax and rejuvenate amidst some possibly stressful times.
I would like to start by formally congratulate @Vandrs on his ten years in the competition, whilst the Flying Dutchmen never quite managed to play finals, narrowly missing in 2014, his feud with Windy Dill was a much-needed source of levity over the years and will be missed.
We have managed to secure an excellent replacement though, a man who knows exactly what it takes to lead a team to the premiership, he is also the tireless leader, statistician and record keeper of BBFL#2, @redbull. I hope you’ll make him feel very welcome and I’m sure Vandrs will take the time in due course to explain why all Dill’s players are spuds.
Invites have been sent out for the new season, if your email has changed please PM me your new one. Alternatively if your circumstances have changed over the off-season and you feel no longer able to coach your side, please PM myself, Blummers or Allblack ASAP so a replacement can be found.
Key Dates
The AFL is again using Labour Day to play the final game of the pre-season and the season will now commence on a Wednesday rather than the traditional Thursday, which compresses the time to complete the draft slightly.
Trade Period Ends: Sunday March 6 , 11pm ADST
Keepers Due: Monday March 7, 11pm ADST
Draft (Officially) Starts: Tuesday March 8, 9am ADST
AFL Season Starts: Wednesday March 16, 7.20pm ADST
Those with early picks may kick things off as soon as the trade period ends should they wish to.
Teams with excess players
After the conclusion of the AFL draft period, the following teams still have more than 30 players and will need to publicly delist players before beginning any trade discussions.
- @Alber_Goodthur (2 players to cut)
- @Allblack (1 player)
- @redbull (1 player)
Draftee (and Returning Player Positions)
I haven’t watched much U18s lately, so I have extended the sources used to compile these to 5: (AFL club write-ups, AFL Draft Central, Knightmare, another draft expert, as well as my own knowledge for the state leaguers).
| Adams, Oscar | BR |
|---|---|
| Akuei, Domanic # | BR |
| Aleer, Leek | B |
| Amiss, Jye | F |
| Andrew, Mac | FR |
| Archer, Jackson | B |
| Banks, Sam | CB |
| Bazzo, Rhett | FB |
| Benning, Roy | FR |
| Bergman, Miller | CB |
| Brock, Sandy # | B |
| Brown, Tom | B |
| Burgoyne, Jase | CB |
| Butler, Sam | FC |
| Callaghan, Finn | CB |
| Chesser, Campbell | CB |
| Clark, Greg | C |
| Clarke, Judson | FC |
| Cleary, Luke | B |
| Conway, Toby | R |
| Curtis, Paul | F |
| Daicos, Nick | C |
| Darcy, Sam | FB |
| Dean, Charlie # | B |
| Dempsey, Ollie # | F |
| Draper, Arlo | FC |
| Erasmus, Neil | FC |
| Fahey, Josh | CB |
| Gibcus, Josh | B |
| Goater, Josh | CB |
| Hamilton, Cooper # | CB |
| Harrison, Harvey | FC |
| Hobbs, Ben | C |
| Horne-Francis, Jason | FC |
| Hough, Brady | FC |
| Howes, Blake | FC |
| Jackson, Hugh | FC |
| Johnson, Matthew | FC |
| Jones, Arthur | FC |
| Knevitt, Mitch | FC |
| Kroeger, Flynn | CB |
| Kyle, Josiah # | F |
| Lohmann, Kai | F |
| Long, Ned # | C |
| Lord, Alastair | B |
| MacDonald, Connor | FC |
| McCartin, Paddy # | FB |
| McComb, Robbie # | C |
| McDonagh, Garrett | CB |
| McVee, Judd # | CB |
| Moniz-Wakefield, Andy # | FC |
| Motlop, Jesse | F |
| Murley, Cooper | FC |
| Nankervis, Luke | FC |
| O’Hara, Fionn # | CB |
| Owens, Mitch | FC |
| Parker, Charlie # | CB |
| Peris, Jack # | C |
| Raak, Cody # | B |
| Rachele, Josh | FC |
| Rankin, Lachlan | FB |
| Roberts, Matthew | FC |
| Serong, Jai | FC |
| Sheldrick, Angus | C |
| Sinn, Josh | CB |
| Skinner, Sam | FB |
| Soligo, Jake | FC |
| Sonsie, Tyler | FC |
| Stengle, Tyson | F |
| Taylor, Zac | FC |
| Tunstill, James | C |
| Uwland, Bodhi # | CB |
| Van Rooyen, Jacob | FB |
| Visentini, Dante | FR |
| Voss, Patrick # | FC |
| Wanganeen-Milera, Nasiah | C |
| Ward, Josh | C |
| Warner, Corey | C |
| Whyte, Cooper | FC |
| Williams, Jack | FR |
| Willis, James | C |
| Wilmot, Darcy | B |
| Windhager, Marcus | FC |
| Woewodin, Taj | CB |
| Worner, Karl # | C |
Proposed Position Changes
With CD publicly releasing their centre square attendance data, I managed to analyse every AFL match - probably the first and last time this happens. The full game by game spreadsheet is available to view in the event anybody wants a copy. Regular VFL/SANFL/WAFL positions have been decided via their club write-ups, BigFooty game reviews and my own observations. There are more changes than normal as all scratch-match regulars from 2020 didn’t lose any positions for 2021.
I’ll have a separate post for methodology later as well as the current positions for unchanged players (should anybody wish to nominate a change for those players). For now though, here are the suggested changes. If you disagree with any of these (your own players or those from any other team please make it clear in this thread, so they can be compiled for the position polls).
Albert
| Cox, Nik | FB | C |
|---|---|---|
| Garcia, Riley | C | FC |
| Hird, Tom # | C | FB |
| Larkey, Nick | FR | F |
| Lukosius, Jack | B | CB |
| McDonald, Luke | B | CB |
| Rankine, Izak | FC | F |
| Serong, Caleb | FC | C |
| Stocker, Liam | CB | B |
| Williams, Zac | CB | B |
Allblack
| Baker, Liam | B | CB |
|---|---|---|
| Butts, Jordon # | FB | B |
| Cutler, Tom | C | CB |
| Dixon, Charlie | F | FR |
| Fyfe, Nat | FC | C |
| Hall, Aaron | FC | FB |
| Hayes, Sam | FR | R |
| McGrath, Andrew | CB | C |
| O’Brien, Tim | FR | FB |
| Zorko, Dayne | C | FC |
Blummers
| Byrnes, Ryan | C | FC |
|---|---|---|
| Farrar, Jy | FB | B |
| Foley, Luke | CB | B |
Crazy Bomber
| Aliir, Aliir | BR | B |
|---|---|---|
| Edwards, Harry | FB | B |
| Greenwood, Hugh | FC | C |
| Guthrie, Cam | CB | C |
| Hill, Brad | C | CB |
| Keays, Ben # | FC | C |
| Markov, Oleg | FB | B |
| Menegola, Sam | FC | C |
Dunlop
| Cerra, Adam | CB | C |
|---|---|---|
| Clark, Hunter | CB | B |
| Collier-Dawkins, Riley | FC | C |
| Duggan, Liam | B | CB |
| Higgins, Jack | FC | F |
| Lewis, Mitch | FR | F |
| Nash, Conor | F | FC |
| Phillips, Will | C | FC |
| Rowbottom, James | FC | C |
| Strachan, Kieran | FR | R |
| Tucker, Darcy | FC | CB |
fogdog
| Bianco, Trent | CB | FC |
|---|---|---|
| Jordon, James | CB | FC |
Fudge
| Blakely, Connor # | CB | C |
|---|---|---|
| Dangerfield, Patrick | FC | C |
| Harmes, James | CB | FC |
| McPherson, Andrew | CB | B |
Jefferson
| Bowes, Jack | CB | B |
|---|---|---|
| Honey, Josh | FC | F |
| Hoskin-Elliott, Will | F | FC |
| Stephenson, Jaidyn | F | FC |
| Swallow, David | C | FC |
Mad Bomber
| Campbell, Braeden | FC | CB |
|---|---|---|
| Hind, Nick | FB | B |
| Moore, Dylan | FC | F |
| Prior, Jaxon | B | CB |
| Richards, Ed | FC | FB |
Awesome Scotty
| Billings, Jack | C | FC |
|---|---|---|
| Bowey, Jake | FC | B |
| Holmes, Max | C | FC |
| Jones, Zak | CB | C |
| McHenry. Ned | FC | F |
| Petracca, Christian | FC | C |
| Sinclair, Jack | FC | CB |
| Weller, Lachie | CB | FC |
redbull
| Bruhn, Tanner | C | FC |
|---|---|---|
| Burgess, Chris | FB | FR |
| Francis, Aaron | B | FB |
| Hannan, Mitch | F | FC |
| Pickett, Marlion # | C | CR |
saladin
| Blakey, Nick | FC | FB |
|---|---|---|
| Cottrell, Matt # | CB | C |
| Green, Tom | C | FC |
| Hunt, Jayden | FB | B |
| Powell, Tom | C | FC |
| Rivers, Trent | CB | B |
You Shall Be Smoten
| McEvoy, Ben | BR | FR |
|---|---|---|
| McInerney, Oscar | FR | R |
| Petrucelle, Jack | FC | F |
| Rioli, Daniel | F | FB |
| Treloar, Adam | C | FC |
Stoops
| Bergman, Miles | FC | CB |
|---|---|---|
| Cockatoo, Nakia | FC | F |
| Johannisen, Jason | B | FB |
| Mundy, David | FC | C |
topdon
| Balta, Noah | FB | BR |
|---|---|---|
| Brayshaw, Andrew | FC | C |
| Hewett, George | C | CB |
| Jones, Chayce | FC | FB |
| Koschitzke, Jacob | FB | F |
| McAsey, Fischer | FB | B |
| McDonald, Tom | FR | F |
| Rozee, Connor | FC | F |
| Spargo, Charlie | FC | F |
| Taranto, Tim | C | FC |
wezza
| Bramble, Lachlan # | FC | CB |
|---|---|---|
| Close, Brad # | FC | F |
| Graham, Jack | C | FC |
| Noble, Jack # | B | CB |
| Powell, Wil | CB | B |
| Simpkin, Jy | FC | C |
wimmera
| Acres, Blake | FC | C |
|---|---|---|
| Bosenavulagi, Atu | FC | FB |
| Curnow, Ed | C | FC |
| Draper, Sam | FR | R |
| Guelfi, Matt | CB | FC |
| McCartin, Tom | FB | B |
| Stewart, James | F | FB |
| Walters, Michael | FC | F |
Windy Dill
| Bonar, Aiden | CB | B |
|---|---|---|
| Docherty, Sam | B | CB |
| Martin, Dustin | C | FC |
| Martin, Jack | FC | F |
| O’Connor, Mark | B | CB |
| Tuohy, Zach | FB | CB |
Free Agents
| Allison, Matt | F | FB |
|---|---|---|
| Bell, James | FC | F |
| Brown, Tyler | CB | C |
| Buckley, Jack | FC | CB |
| Cox, Brennan | FB | B |
| Davis, Ben # | F | FB |
| Daw, Majak # | BR | FR |
| Edwards, Shane | CB | C |
| Gollant, Lachlan | C | F |
| Graham, Caleb | FB | BR |
| Hamill, Will | CB | B |
| Hill, Bobby | FC | F |
| Jeka, Emerson | FB | F |
| Lord, Ollie | F | FR |
| Madden, James # | CB | B |
| McBride, Cian # | B | FB |
| McKenzie, Dan | B | CB |
| Miller, Ben | FB | B |
| Nyuon, Bigoa # | BR | B |
| Owies, Matt # | FC | F |
| Ryan, Samson | R | FR |
| Shaw, Will # | CB | FC |
| Sproule, Zach # | F | FR |
| Stone, Conor | FB | FC |
| Turner, Kayne | FC | FB |
| Williams, Dylan | FB | F |
| Wilson, Tom # | F | B |
| Worrell, Josh | FB | B |
| Young, Lewis | B | BR |
On behalf of Blummers, Allblack and myself, we wish everybody the best of luck for the upcoming season, hopefully we’ll see some more first-time finalists repeat Jefferson’s impressive showing from last year, and maybe this’ll be the year everything clicks for one of the 11 coaches that have yet to taste premiership success.
