Swadling just doesn’t stop finding the footy, dominating the Colts competition week after week in a way that we haven’t seen in some time. 39 possessions this week, falling a fraction short of his third straight 40 disposal game in a row. His work rate and positioning are first rate.
Last week there were a lot of negative comments on Swadling’s kicking which was definitely a little off. This week he was back to being solid again, missing a couple (which will happen when you have 39 disposals) but mostly lacing out his targets or putting the footy to his teammates advantage. His hands around the contest were again slick and creative.
Do you think Swadling is showing enough to force WCE to use their first on him? Or more mid-draft and they may try and trade in or back to have picks to use on him?
I think Swadling’s a first round pick, but his performances against his peers at the Champs will firm things up a lot. If he continues this kind of form there then WCE would be silly not to have him right up there on their board… but if his slight lack of pace and his occasionally poor skill execution are shown to be bigger issues against tougher competition and more intense pressure then he’ll slide back some.
I still believe this is a bumper crop from WA. WCE might be positioning themselves to have a real crack at it. If they think Harley is gone next season no matter what, then they’d have to be thinking seriously about acting early to trade him for the picks that will land them a handful of super talented local kids.
A real mixed bag of a game from Willem Duursma here. He had some thrilling moments, such as a bursting run out of the middle for a shot on goal in the fourth quarter and a lovely snap for goal in the first. His pressure around the contest was excellent all game. He threatened the score sheet all game but was let down in that department and in general by his poor kicking, in particular on his non-preferred left which he had the confidence to use but butchered badly on a number of occasions.
Like him a lot. Nice cruising speed, hint of explosiveness, strong over the ball And in the air beautiful fluid action and his left and right for with a nice trajectory on his kicking. Looks like he could play anywhere. Where do I sign?
First time I’ve watched swadling, but he looks like an Essendon style pick. High possession, good hands, not great pace and a not great kick (although his action is fluid).
This was a pretty strong game from Fred although there are still signs that he’s yet to hit top form. He was prolific around stoppage, winning first possession and releasing teammates into space or getting the ball forward himself. His kicking was a little off compared to his typical excellence with a couple of shanks in the mix, and so far this season he hasn’t been able to find as much space on the spread to really damage with his elite skills.
The weather got a bit wild up in Brisbane with heavy wind, a bit of rain, and even some thunder and lightning in the fourth quarter. Lachy was buzzing around all game, clean at ground level and doing some creative things with the footy. He had a bit more of a chance up the ground and through the middle and was productive with those opportunities which might suggest more midfield time as the season progresses. He kicked a couple of goals, but was a bit wayward in the windy conditions and his and his teammates missed opportunities cost Eastern in a close loss.
Rebounding defenders is becoming a real strength of this draft. Should be a stack of them through the middle rounds.
Finn Davis played his first Talent League game for the season in the Darwin heat and turned in a strong performance. He displayed some traits that should have any watching recruiters interested, doing damage with his run and carry out of defence and his strong ball use. NT are a team that players will often rack up big numbers against so it’ll be interesting to see how Finn’s season progresses against tougher opponents.
Yeah for sure. I still had Cody Curtin in my first round in the last video even after his stinky performances for the Academy, but since then he’s had back to back average performances in the WAFL Colts, a comp he really should be dominating. At this stage Cody has to be considered a mid rounder until he starts to show more of what we saw last year.
I didn’t rate him that highly myself, but others had Riley Onley in their top 5 coming into the year… and at this stage I’m considering whether Riley is even draftable. His disposal was always an issue and hasn’t improved, but the biggest thing is just his attitude. I want to be careful as I don’t know the kid personally, but his body language out on the field is awful, he puts almost no effort into defensive actions. Some of the talk coming out of the Academy games wasn’t great.
As for risers, there are heaps really. The two really big ones are Rory Wright who didn’t play talent league at all last season and is looking like a potential top 10 pick, and Sam Grlj who had his admirers coming into the year but has taken a huge leap in the early season into top 10 contention.
I sure hope some guys really enhance their credentials in the National Carnival and emerge as more complete players cos at present the crop doesn’t exactly blow you away and have you bursting with excitement whilst holding two top 10 picks.
