why is this club obsessed with a small forward ,give me quick strong mid anytime we have to remember our weakness is SLOW ball movement so recruiting a gun small fwd how does that help .

Gives me a bit of Bont with a lot of Del Santo type of vibe . Shit he's nimble and agile Cazz for a bloke that size .

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All my dangerous friends

That’s it Mick. A whole lot of Dal Santo.

They’ve played him as an inside mid, but I’ll be stuffed standing upright if he isn’t the big wing/half forward that clubs are looking for.

Six foot four, runs like the wind & kicks like a mule. If you can’t find a role for that…

Is he better than Nairn? That’s debatable. Endurance & accuracy versus size & speed.

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"The best argument against democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter" - Winston Churchill.

Just to play devil’s advocate, is Ison a better pick for us than those potential picks in the top 20? Is there a world where we are effectively choosing between ‘Dean + Pick 15’ vs ‘Dean + Ison’ and we say, stuff it we’re taking Pick 15 and risk losing Ison?

And to take it a step further, is Cody Walker worth 2 first round picks, if that’s what we need to secure him next year? Or more likely, our first pick plus a slide of our next pick into the second round?
(I am sure I am getting the maths wrong so pls feel free to clarify?)

I’m not really sure if I’m picking up what you’re putting down 17th, but I would say that the irons we have in the trade fire are a fair indication.

Ison shouldn’t be hearing his name before pick 30. He’s good, but he played mostly school footy & was dropped from the Metro side. That said, I’ve got a better opinion of the mids in this draft than most experts. Suffice to say, I’m preparing for a substantial egg bath.

As for Cody, he’s probably a top 10 pick in this draft. They say next year will be good, but he’s still top 5 in that group… not that I’m looking to forecast the hormones of a bunch of kids I’ve never heard of.

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"The best argument against democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter" - Winston Churchill.

Hi 17 I preface my remarks by saying I’m not a draft expert and Crusader knows the system better than I and so does Sidey

I think the club here has 2 strategies this draft night but it essentially depends on how early Dean gets bid on by other clubs,similarly with ISON and whether we can trade picks with other clubs either for first round picks in this draft or the next one

I think that your questions have to be seen in the context of these strategies and the fact that the because we have two high father /son picks in 2025 and 2026 where the rules are going to be more draconian the clubs strategy for the 2025 and 2026 drafts are inextricably linked

Also what we do know is that the draft systems implemented in 2025 and 2026 unlike previously encourage other clubs to bid on NGA players and f/S players to make the club who have nominated those players cough up more for thes players than ever before

Strategy one

The club I think if it got its preference would like to get both Dean and ISON in 2025 and a further first round pick in next years draft 2026 to ensure it gets Cody and has 3 first round picks for next year as it is also a stronger draft ie use the highest 2 to get Cody and get another gun or have 3 picks so they can trade up to get Cody. This is the case given 12 months out he is likely to be in top 2 in the draft with pundits suggesting Dougie Cochrane might be 1 but Cody is considered as pick 2

This is complicated by the fact that the incompetent AFL has not released the draft rules for father/sons in the 2026 draft so accordingly the club is being extra cautious in seeking if possible to get extra draft capital for 2026 ie a further 1st round pick

Second Strategy

The second less preferred strategy for the Club in the 2025 draft is to get Dean and ISON and another first round pick ie Dovaston Schubert or Lindsay.However at the moment this may be difficult if Dean and ISON get bid on earlier than what is expected.

It is difficult to therefore in that context to answer your questions directly with so many permutations as set out above together with the complete uncertainty with 2026 rules

Our weakness is slow people, not slow ball movement. We can hoik the pill up the line all the live long day.

Someone like Dovaston can wrong foot defenders & draw them off the line. He can be uncatchable if he gets out the back. Slippery as all @#$%&! & finish on either side of the body.

He might be the best small forward to come through the draft this decade.

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"The best argument against democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter" - Winston Churchill.

Hopefully the extra on the bench awakes our coaching group to use Hewett in stints changing up with Crippa and allows us more run and a better structure in the middle. We might finally have an advantage with one rule change!

I agree with Cru imagine a player of watsons ability playing in our forward line now it is multi dimensional and hopefully a better and more efficient game plan going into the forward 50

Dont know whether Dovaston is as good as watson

Having said that Schubert or Lindsay are both also good options as well as anyone else our recruiters think fit our needs to fill other roles and add to our developing young core

Any thoughts about Phillipou? I’ve only read bits and pieces, but I like how his brother goes about it.

Watson is a highlight reel. Dovaston is a goal kicker. Highlight players may give you more big marks, unpredictable plays and freak goals.
Goalkickers give you wins. Dovaston has shown an ability to score consistently at all levels of footy.
As for Phillipou, it depends who you ask. Apparently the Saints are his second biggest fans. He's his own number one fan.

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Looking forward to seeing our potential realised.

So the saints want our pick 11 to get Phillipou the reckon. What can they possibly give us with no picks.

Dont want to deal with THAT team anymore.

Jack SOS and their future first rounder

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I'm shocked to be sitting here

Jack SOS can eat his grandfather’s boots!

I would say they are not fit to polish his boots .

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All my dangerous friends

Drewgirl would ask the saints on draft night for future first 2026 and pick 50 if they wanted 11 but tell them particularly SOS that this is the only offer we agree to and take it or leave leave it immediately no negotiation provided that would give us enough to pick up ison if he got bid on early and there was not an early bid on Dean ie by WC or Tigers

Spot on.
No matter what we will get our man Dean. That’s most important.
Crossing everything Dean is overlooked till our pick. It’s a possibility.
Would love our 2 boys plus a F1, then 2 spots for KPD and KPF

If we get the chance to take Onley or Dovasten we must take it.
Who is my preference? Too hard to split for me.
Onley on a wing fits my dream oI always wanted: Waite on the wing.
Hard running super tall wingman.
Either will make me happy. Feel KPF is a greater need from the draft.
Did someone say this isn’t a good draft?

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Everyone looks good in Navy Blue

We need to get the extra F1 talent in this year. So whether it is Dovaston, Schubert, Lindsay, Phillipou or Mitch Marsh it doesn't matter. We need talent everywhere.

Don't put off until tomorrow what you can do today is my motto for drafting.

I'm comfortable that we can cover Cody with what we have now. Worst case I'm sure we could being a 2027 F1 pick or two into 2026 to make up the difference.

Sent from my SM-S931B using Tapatalk

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Jagga

Spot on.
I'll add to the first strategy that they might also be looking for a 2nd or 3rd rounder if they can't get a first from this years draft, hence the discussions with Adelaide.

100%
He looks great and could add some real damage in the F50 with Ainsworth and Hayward next year.