2022: AFL SC Player Discussions

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Im Guessing Raynor in the 275K price range.?

Does he get that midfield time he was promised last year before the injury, or is he eased back into the team as small forward.? Get his confidence back into the Knee.?
Hi recall reading that there is normally a drop off in SC performance in the year returning from ACL. may want to hold off
 

Goodie's Guns

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Looks like Jason Horne-Francis will be a MID only heading into next year based off the positional category shown on last nights coverage which is taken from CD.

Adelaide’s Josh Rachele was a MID/FWD. And I can’t exactly remember, but pretty sure Fremantle’s Neil Erasmus was MID/FWD also.

EDIT: Although have just noticed the HS have JHF as a MID/FWD, getting my mate at the HS to follow up today and see if they sourced that from CD also. Either way, as we already knew, he’s going to be borderline MID/FWD eligibility.
 
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Looks like Jason Horne-Francis will be a MID only heading into next year based off the positional category shown on last nights coverage which is taken from CD.

Adelaide’s Josh Rachele was a MID/FWD. And I can’t exactly remember, but pretty sure Fremantle’s Neil Erasmus was MID/FWD also.

EDIT: Although have just noticed the HS have JHF as a MID/FWD, getting my mate at the HS to follow up today and see if they sourced that from CD also. Either way, as we already knew, he’s going to be borderline MID/FWD eligibility.
Presume Daicos has FWD eligibility... is he DPP as well?
 
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With Hobbs going to Essendon at pick 13 (later than expected so cheaper starting price) I will be keeping a very close eye on his preseason - AFL ready inside mid who is great at stoppages & tackling = SC points. Reminds me of Ollie Wines in style, he was an awesome SC rookie pick :-

Ben Hobbs
Height: 183cm
Weight: 80kg
D.O.B: 16-09-2003
Leagues: NAB League Boys

POSITION:
Inside Midfielder
SNAPSHOT: “A hard-nosed, hard-working inside midfielder who loves to compete both defensively and in a ball winning sense."
Ben Hobbs is a prototype inside midfielder who thrives on the contested ball and never takes a backwards step. A readymade midfielder who could step straight into a lineup from Round 1, Hobbs has been likened to Collingwood's Taylor Adams for his fierce attack on the ball, and high levels of defensive pressure, ball-winning abilities and consistency across the board. Like Adams, the knock on Hobbs is his outside game and primarily further improving his kicking to be more potent, but as a whole, Hobbs' ability to dominate around the stoppages is rarely matched in this draft crop.

STRENGTHS:
  • Contested work
  • Clean hands
  • Accumulation
  • Consistency
  • Tackling
  • Clearances

IMPROVEMENTS:
  • Outside game
  • Kicking

Hobbs is a player who will never be too far from the contest, racking up plenty of clearances and often being either the first or second disposal from a stoppage. He can throw it on the boot to clear or try and power his way through with strength, and his hands are very clean in dishing off to teammates and picking the right option. Whilst his work outside the contest might need refining, Hobbs has proven he can go forward and hit the scoreboard, with his smarts around stoppages enabling him to read the taps well and then throw it on the boot to apply scoreboard pressure from a forward stoppage.

There is little doubt that Hobbs knows how to find the ball, averaging 25 disposals over six games, including back-to-back huge 34-disposal games against Murray Bushrangers and Sandringham Dragons, and finishing off the season with 32 touches against Gippsland Power prior to the most recent Victorian lockdown. Even more remarkably, this includes the game against the Bushrangers back in Round 4, where he was injured and only picked up only four disposals. Not including that match, his average is bolstered to 29.2 disposals per game. His natural accumulation lends itself to his role, with his work on the inside critical to allowing his teammates to shine around him.

In terms of toughness and sheer courage, Hobbs throws himself at every ground ball to win it out, and has little regard for his own safety, desperate to win the pill for his side. He is as consistent as any other player in the competition in that regard, and from an offensive standpoint, his work in close is rivalled by very few in the draft crop. From a defensive standpoint, his tackling - at five per game - is just as fierce, and he shows a desire to win the ball back for his side. Put simply, you know exactly what effort Hobbs will put out for four quarters each and every week.

The knock on him will be his outside game and ability to impact a contest from other positions, but unlike some pigeonholed inside midfielders, Hobbs is still able to impact the game by hitting the scoreboard. Multiple goals in the Rebels' win over the Bushrangers, and then goals in his final two games of the NAB League season showed he has enough smarts and strength to able to capitalise away from the coalface. He certainly could improve the outside aspects of his game, including his kicking, which is a main focus for the GWV Rebels on-baller.

DRAFT RANGE: Top 10

SUMMARY:
Ben Hobbs is the best pure inside midfielder in the draft. Whilst Jason Horne-Francis could be considered a midfielder-forward, Hobbs is as pure as they come on the inside, and he is someone who can slot straight into a midfield, not afraid to take some hits. He has areas to improve on, mainly outside the contest, but from an inside perspective, he will be a consistent ball winner and his effort will never waver. Expect him to land somewhere inside the Top 10 in the AFL Draft and be able to push for selection early in his debut season.
 
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Possible defender rookie - DP very handy :-

Darcy Wilmot - DEF/MID $139,800

A tough rebounding small defender, Wilmot is aggressive in his play and ultra competitive. In 7 NAB League game appearances in 2021 he averaged 87 ranking points 15 disposals, 4 rebound 50s and 6 intercept possessions per game. #SuperCoach
 
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Someone to keep an eye on preseason.

Essendon has welcomed booming left-footer and lifelong Bombers fan Garrett McDonagh in the 2021 NAB AFL Draft.

The 25-year-old is a mature-age recruit from Richmond VFL, who arrives at the Bombers via pick No.50 - the club's third and final selection.

A powerful rebounding defender who can also play across the wing and forward line, McDonagh shines with his lethal kicking, decision-making and composure.

Some highlights in the link.
https://www.essendonfc.com.au/news/1033687/pick-no-50-garrett-mcdonagh
 
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Hi recall reading that there is normally a drop off in SC performance in the year returning from ACL. may want to hold off
Correct Crowls, some analysis by Rowsus a few years ago (in anticipation of Libba coming back) put it at -10%, That was for more mature players, maybe a question if a younger player can do better than that.
 
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Pretty happy with the Bombers draftees. Getting Hobbs at 13 was a steal. Link below to Disco's wrap. From a fantasy perspective, it's worth noting the comments on Garrett McDonagh.

- Ready made
- Should play early on - you don't draft 25 year olds to play in the reserves
- Elite kick
- Big tank
- Ear marked to play on a wing

https://www.essendonfc.com.au/video...pJobID=1380931846&spReportId=MTM4MDkzMTg0NgS2
 

Bomber18

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View: https://twitter.com/aflratings_fs/status/1464744162469695490?s=21

He has lost approximately 10kgs on the back of the injury & has been completing indoor sessions in the last month in a bid to regain full fitness Cleary added.
Richmond Senior Club Advisor Neil Balme said in early October Martin could see a change of role in 2022, his lighter weight would allow for more of an endurance type role rather than an explosive/impact type role.
“But if he keeps a bit of it off, he might be able to play even more in the midfield rather than just as a forward/mid.”
 
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View: https://twitter.com/aflratings_fs/status/1464744162469695490?s=21

He has lost approximately 10kgs on the back of the injury & has been completing indoor sessions in the last month in a bid to regain full fitness Cleary added.
Richmond Senior Club Advisor Neil Balme said in early October Martin could see a change of role in 2022, his lighter weight would allow for more of an endurance type role rather than an explosive/impact type role.
“But if he keeps a bit of it off, he might be able to play even more in the midfield rather than just as a forward/mid.”
Dusty And Heeny will tempt us all again.
 
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