LAST week, the NAB AFL under 18 championships concluded with matches in Melbourne and Geelong.
The finale was originally scheduled for Etihad Stadium on Wednesday, but it became unavailable, so a couple of matches were played at Visy Park on Tuesday, followed by two at Skilled Stadium on Wednesday.
NSW/ACT and Tasmania played a ‘virtual’ grand final in division two, with the Apple Isle victorious.
Tasmania performed really well to win the title, particularly as it lost Josh Green - who is regarded as its highest ranked player - in the opening five minutes of the match.
Sam Darley, who is eligible for the 2011 NAB AFL Draft, starred in that game, so he will come under strong Greater Western Sydney contention.
Although it was disappointing not to see the division one matches at Etihad Stadium, Geelong provided an excellent alternative, with fine ground conditions. Still, every venue and set of conditions has its strengths and weaknesses.
Vic Metro defeated Western Australia in a good contest, although the South Australia and Vic Country clash was even tighter. Although the Croweaters won by three points, Vic Country claimed the division one title, winning four of its five matches.
What came out of this year’s championships - and it’s a long and exhaustive process for all concerned - is that the four or five days in Melbourne provided the best indicators to assess players.
This is because they’re further into their development, and the teams are much more refined.
In terms of talent, there was a good spread among the teams. We always expect Vic Country and Vic Metro to provide the bulk of the talent pool.
In the past 13 years, we’ve seen roughly 60 per cent of draftees come out of the TAC Cup. Irrespective of where the players fall in the draft, the TAC Cup tends to provide most of the players.
South Australia and Western Australia will provide a good contribution of players in this year’s draft, in terms of top end picks.
Talls from South Australia, including Daniel Gorringe, Sam Day and Scott Lycett, as well as Brodie Smith, are strong contenders in this year’s draft.
Western Australia also has some fine young talent, including David Swallow, who didn’t play in the championships as he has already been claimed by Gold Coast.
Harley Bennell, who won the Larke Medal as the best division one player, is another good performer.
Metro and Country may not provide as many early draft picks as we’ve seen in the past, but there is still a long way to go in the season, so that could change.
People’s top 10 are quite fluid at the moment - in terms of who sits and fits in where.
But what became apparent is that there is a bit of depth in this year’s draft, in terms of what clubs may or may not want with needs on their list.
Some players, who were not as exposed as others, put their hands up in the championships, while the reverse was true for some of the more highly rated players.
For example, most rated Day pretty highly in the draft - probably in the top three - but he was selected on the interchange bench in the All-Australian side.
So, performances in the championships don’t always correlate with where certain players will get drafted and where they might fit.
From a Melbourne perspective, we don’t know where we will be picking at this stage. But, as previously stated, we’re taking a positive view on the draft and what it might deliver for us come November.
Recruiting is about interpretation, and it’s about what you interpret from the set of information that’s been given to you.
One of the beauties of recruiting is that when every club is watching the same match, if you can interpret more or better than another club, then you give yourself an advantage.
That’s the skill in talent identification, and what we all try and hang our hat on.
Since the under 18s, it’s been a quick turnaround, because we are now under way watching the NAB AFL under 16 championships. I’ll touch on this next week.
The finale was originally scheduled for Etihad Stadium on Wednesday, but it became unavailable, so a couple of matches were played at Visy Park on Tuesday, followed by two at Skilled Stadium on Wednesday.
NSW/ACT and Tasmania played a ‘virtual’ grand final in division two, with the Apple Isle victorious.
Tasmania performed really well to win the title, particularly as it lost Josh Green - who is regarded as its highest ranked player - in the opening five minutes of the match.
Sam Darley, who is eligible for the 2011 NAB AFL Draft, starred in that game, so he will come under strong Greater Western Sydney contention.
Although it was disappointing not to see the division one matches at Etihad Stadium, Geelong provided an excellent alternative, with fine ground conditions. Still, every venue and set of conditions has its strengths and weaknesses.
Vic Metro defeated Western Australia in a good contest, although the South Australia and Vic Country clash was even tighter. Although the Croweaters won by three points, Vic Country claimed the division one title, winning four of its five matches.
What came out of this year’s championships - and it’s a long and exhaustive process for all concerned - is that the four or five days in Melbourne provided the best indicators to assess players.
This is because they’re further into their development, and the teams are much more refined.
In terms of talent, there was a good spread among the teams. We always expect Vic Country and Vic Metro to provide the bulk of the talent pool.
In the past 13 years, we’ve seen roughly 60 per cent of draftees come out of the TAC Cup. Irrespective of where the players fall in the draft, the TAC Cup tends to provide most of the players.
South Australia and Western Australia will provide a good contribution of players in this year’s draft, in terms of top end picks.
Talls from South Australia, including Daniel Gorringe, Sam Day and Scott Lycett, as well as Brodie Smith, are strong contenders in this year’s draft.
Western Australia also has some fine young talent, including David Swallow, who didn’t play in the championships as he has already been claimed by Gold Coast.
Harley Bennell, who won the Larke Medal as the best division one player, is another good performer.
Metro and Country may not provide as many early draft picks as we’ve seen in the past, but there is still a long way to go in the season, so that could change.
People’s top 10 are quite fluid at the moment - in terms of who sits and fits in where.
But what became apparent is that there is a bit of depth in this year’s draft, in terms of what clubs may or may not want with needs on their list.
Some players, who were not as exposed as others, put their hands up in the championships, while the reverse was true for some of the more highly rated players.
For example, most rated Day pretty highly in the draft - probably in the top three - but he was selected on the interchange bench in the All-Australian side.
So, performances in the championships don’t always correlate with where certain players will get drafted and where they might fit.
From a Melbourne perspective, we don’t know where we will be picking at this stage. But, as previously stated, we’re taking a positive view on the draft and what it might deliver for us come November.
Recruiting is about interpretation, and it’s about what you interpret from the set of information that’s been given to you.
One of the beauties of recruiting is that when every club is watching the same match, if you can interpret more or better than another club, then you give yourself an advantage.
That’s the skill in talent identification, and what we all try and hang our hat on.
Since the under 18s, it’s been a quick turnaround, because we are now under way watching the NAB AFL under 16 championships. I’ll touch on this next week.
