With our 2 first rounders into the 2025 draft, does anyone have an early opinion on whether it’s a strong / middle / weak?
Or has anyone seen any media on the 2025 draft strength?
Top end looks really strong with a good mix of position types available, though not as deep as other drafts.
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SUPER DRAFT
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That speed is unreal, but the disposal often left a lot to be desired
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In 2024 big boy bottom-ager Ah-Mu regularly monstered kids a year older than him. A year later, it seems unlikely that anyone will be capable of matching his size and strength in the Talent League or Champs series. He possesses solid skills for such a big man and is capable of taking clean contested grabs.
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Its going to be pretty academy compromised. Top 10/25 prospects
Zeke Uwland (Suns Academy/Allies) …
Daniel Annable (Lions Academy/Allies) …
Beau Addinsall (Suns Academy/Allies)…
Max King (Swans Academy/Allies)…
Kalani White (Demons father son / Suns Academy/Allies)…
Lachlan Carmichael (Swans Academy/Allies)…
seems to be more Ruckman size kids rated in top 25 than usual too.
like any draft the earlier our picks the better.
with suns having a few academy kids we may be able to package our two second rounders for their first, assuming they make finals.
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I actually think its going to be much less so than advertised. Especially the top 10.
The only two I feel that have a chance of getting into the top 10 are Uwland and Annable, the others aren’t at that level for me.
Uwland I think has a chance to slide. We’ll see. I do like his game, but he’s small and not express pace, and he hasn’t shown much versatility. He’s a bit like a smaller Dan Houston.
Addinsall is an elite accumulator, but small, slowish and not super damaging.
King I haven’t seen enough of yet to comment but I don’t think he’s considered a top 10 prospect at this stage.
Kalani White has some nice traits but he’s been pretty poor with his output up to now. He’s mostly being projected on the back of what people think he might become. Unless he has a breakout season he could be more of a middle of the pack type pick.
Carmichael is just a medium level running/small defender. No elite attributes, but has some poise with the footy. I think Noah Chamberlain might be the better of the two, but similar to Kalani White he’s been pretty quiet in the games of his I’ve watched - I need to see him impose himself on games.
Annable I really like and think he’s flying a little under the radar right now. Powerful inside mid who can still get involved on the spread, strong leader.
e: Actually one that wasn’t mentioned and I initially forgot about is Tom McGuane. He’s got something that boy… finds a stack of the footy and has a dangerous left boot. Plays mostly as an outside leaning midfielder but can get forward and hit the scoreboard.
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This was Louis’ largest goal tally of the season and a very solid all round performance. While most of his goals came from free kicks, he drew them through his work rate and danger level in the forward 50 making his defender panic. I’m not 100% convinced yet with his somewhat awkward kicking technique, but in this game he was a deadeye in front of goal.
Given today’s practice match, it feels like we have finally accepted the need for development on field as well as at training. I know there were senior guys out injured, but it really felt like a ‘give the future a taste’ kind of day.
Which means come November, we’re going to have a good time. Two first. Two seconds. Maybe more. Maybe upgrade those.
We’re either adding a stack of high end talent or we’re trading in elite young talent.
We might just finally be on track.
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The highlight of this Ollie Greeves performance for me was his move into the forward line in the fourth quarter. He got on the end of a number of chances, having the timing to hit up at the ball carrier on the lead in one instance and strength to protect space for a nice mark on another. If Ollie can prove himself to be a legitimate dual threat as a mid/fwd it will give his draft stocks a real boost.
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I hope we use all those picks and stick with the draft
Just another game where NHH being moved from wing into the forward line in the fourth quarter led to him kicking the pivotal goals to surge his Stingrays team to victory. It will be a fascinating watch in 2025 to see what kind of role Noah plays. In the forward line he gets to feature his strong aerial prowess and ability to hit the scoreboard, where a wing role allows him to utilize his endurance and elite field kicking skills to set the table for his teammates.
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He should take up gridiron. He could make millions
Apparently the Hawks are trying to add potential top 10 pick Ollie Greeves into their NGA having recently found out that he has some indigenous heritage.
If this is allowed it would be a massive rort. They’ve had literally no influence over his development into a top prospect, they’re just looking to put their hand up at the last second and pinch a freebie.
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I know I’ll get howled down for this but this is just ridiculous. Clubs are clearly just trying to game the system. You can’t just coincidentally stumble across some sort of miniscule and tenuous indigenous heritage and try to weaponise that to get rights to a gun player you’ve had nothing to do with and they’re not even probably connected to said culture.
I’m sorry but come on. This is taking the p¡$s.
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I don’t know enough about his background or links to indigenous culture to call that stuff out. I think the whiteness of his skin colour isn’t necessarily an indicator of that.
I’m more frustrated with it from the perspective of what the NGA program is there for. The purpose it serves the community. Its supposed to be there to create pathways for parts of the community that are non traditional or underserved. Its not there to give AFL clubs priority access to elite talent that was always going to make it to the AFL with or without the NGA program.
This is just an opportunistic and undeserved talent grab using a loop hole in the system.
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I don’t think his heritage is at all relevant due to the second point you made. The kid goes to Caulfied Grammar and plays for Eastern Ranges. His situation is absolutely not the point of the NGA system
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It detracts from everything the program is about and diminishes the good it is doing
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I’ve said it many times, this 25th generation, 1 percent indigenous heritage nga stuff, will ruin the nga system. Guys like Horne Francis would have been an nga.
Why is it for multicultural accessibility you need to have one parent born overseas (so at minimum 50 percent that background), yet indigenous it could go back to the 1800s or something and the kid could have grown up white and never knew he had a tiny bit of indigenous heritage in his blood till his draft year, yet will be eligible to some lucky club (like Sanders could have been), it’s ridiculous.
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Umm that is really dodgy - we should have tried to get Jayden Nguyen to do the same just as a pure ■■■■ take
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