2005 Afl Youngbloods

[CyberKev]

Seeing as though picking controversial sides seems to be in vogue at the moment, I thought I'd pick a side with the best "young" players in the comp. Qualifying criteria is that a player must be aged under 23 (as at September 30 2005) and must have played at least 10 AFL games.

AFL YOUNGBLOODS 2005​

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B: Campbell Brown (Hawthorn); Ben Rutten (Adelaide); Michael Osborne (Hawthorn)​

HB: Luke Hodge (Hawthorn); Matthew Maguire (St Kilda); Brett Deledio (Richmond)

C: Chris Judd (West Coast); Luke Ball (St Kilda); Adam Cooney (Bulldogs)

HF: Daniel Wells (Kangaroos); Ashley Hansen (West Coast); Gary Ablett Jr (Geelong)

F: Hayden Skipworth (Adelaide); Nick Reiwoldt (St Kilda); Mark Williams (Hawthorn)

R: Will Minson (Bulldogs); Nick Dal Santo (St Kilda); Sam Mitchell (Hawthorn)

I: Justin Kozitschke (St Kilda); Brad Miller (Melbourne); Lenny Hayes (St Kilda); Kane Cornes (Port Adelaide)

 

[lockyno1]

Luke Ablett has to be in there as well, Dyson and Monfries from Essendon. Those would be in my side. How is Judd a youngblood when he has won a Brownlow?

 

[CyberKev]

Luke Ablett has to be in there as well, Dyson and Monfries from Essendon. Those would be in my side. How is Judd a youngblood when he has won a Brownlow?

Winning a Brownlow has nothing to do with making a side where the criteria is "that a player must be aged under 23 (as at September 30 2005) and must have played at least 10 AFL games."

Judd is still a young footballer.

I'm surprised you'd even consider Luke Ablett, who is yet to do anything remarkable. I think both Dyson & Monfries will be good footballers, but neither has done enough to earn a spot yet.

 

[lockyno1]

Ok fair enough. I still do not agree with Judd though. He has had more than enough hounour, which he deserves I will totally agree. Ablett is the unsung hero of the Sydney midfield. How can you pick Mitchell when he has hardly played this year? 5 Hawthorn players, you have got to be kidding me, they were not that good this year!

 

[CyberKev]

Ok fair enough. I still do not agree with Judd though. He has had more than enough hounour, which he deserves I will totally agree.

I thought other players were more deserving of the Brownlow last year, but its a moot point. At any rate, he well deserves a spot in this side which is, after all, only a hypothetical.

Ablett is the unsung hero of the Sydney midfield. How can you pick Mitchell when he has hardly played this year?

I guess we'll have to disagree, as Ablett is painfully average from what I've seen of him. Mitchell outperformed him this season despite playing 8 less games. Mitchell was well ahead in the clearances before being injured and even managed to maintain a top ten spot despite missing 8 matches. At any rate, the side also takes into account form over a number of years, not merely this season.

5 Hawthorn players, you have got to be kidding me, they were not that good this year!

The number of Hawthorn wins for the year is irrelevant here. Especially when the club was decimated by injury during the second half of the year. Even then they could all too easily have won 10-11 games, despite being in the first year of a major restructure.

We are looking at an under 23 side here.

The majority of top notch players in the comp are aged over 23 and it is well known in AFL circles that Hawthorn has the largest compliment of 20-23 year old players, so its not surprising that they would have 5 players in the side. 18-19 year olds are generally still finding their feet, and 23 years olds are too old.

Williams, Hodge & Mitchell would all be certainties and Brown spent much of the season in AA contention for a back pocket spot. The only dubious one is Osborne but, again, most back pockets in the AFL are over the qualifying age.

 

[lockyno1]

Cyber, watch ablett this week! He will tag one of the midfield possibly Harvey. He has been fantastic this year and I am not a swans supporter (I am an essendon supporter). Last year I would have picked mitchell, not this year. As far as back pockets you are probally right in the fact that there are not too many good ones that are young but there has got to be others beside Osbourne. I am sorry but he really did not impress me one bit! Surely some of the bulldogs are young!

 

[CyberKev]

Last year I would have picked mitchell, not this year.

? But last season he averaged 19 possessions a game and this season he averaged 25 and was comfortably ahead of the pack with clearances until injured. Mitchell is the best under 23 rover in the game.

As far as back pockets you are probally right in the fact that there are not too many good ones that are young but there has got to be others beside Osbourne. I am sorry but he really did not impress me one bit! Surely some of the bulldogs are young!

I'm not overly sold on Osborne either, so if you can find me a better performed u-23 player who regularly plays back pocket, I'd be happy to reconsider.

Most Bulldogs players are older than 23 period. The club also has an over abundance of midfielders and players not named who are under 23 tend to be raw players in the centre (Cross was unlucky), or raw KPP who have shown little to this point.

 

[Stormin Norman]

i would put del santo on the half back flank delediuo on thw wing and judd as the rover

 

[JTR]

Dunno where he'd slot in, but I reckon Aaron Davey would be a chance.
Maybe even Jared Rivers if he can find his form.

 

[CyberKev]

i would put del santo on the half back flank delediuo on thw wing and judd as the rover

I assume you mean ruck rover for Judd. That set-up could also work well, although Dal Santo strikes me as more of a ruck rover type than a half back flanker.

Effectively, Judd, Dal Santo & Hodge are all ruck rover type players (albeit of differing ilks).

 

[CyberKev]

Dunno where he'd slot in, but I reckon Aaron Davey would be a chance.
Maybe even Jared Rivers if he can find his form.

True.

Davey was pipped at the post for a HFF role, and lacked the diversity and depth that I prefer in players for a bench spot.

Rivers would have been CHB last season, but was outpointed by Maguire this year. I was tempted to slot Rivers in on a HBF, but Deledio's strong debut season was a bit better than Rivers 2005 for mine.

 

[meltiger]

If someone would have the balls to give Davey a good hip and shoulder, you would find his game change........ I'm waiting for the day someone hits him.

M Williams is under 23? Geez, he must have debuted young?

 

[meltiger]

I would have probably moved Kosi off the bench into your side, dropped Minson and added Griffen to the bench.

Otherwise, don't disagree too much.


Do Hawthorn really have more under 23's than Richmond? We have a hell of a lot.

 

[CyberKev]

M Williams is under 23? Geez, he must have debuted young?

He debuted as a 19 year old in 2002, but was only 17 when taken at 43 in the 2000 draft. Will turn 23 next April, making both he and Mitchell ineligible for next year's Youngbloods.

 

[Hoops]

A bit of Hawthorn bias there.
Campbell Brown worthy? don't think so

Bartel is a definite starter
I agree with Lockyno1 Luke Ablett has really stepped up this year. perhaps in skipworths position.

Are you sure Lenny Hayes is under 23??? seems to of been around for years.

 

[lockyno1]

A bit of Hawthorn bias there.
Campbell Brown worthy? don't think so

Bartel is a definite starter
I agree with Lockyno1 Luke Ablett has really stepped up this year. perhaps in skipworths position.

Are you sure Lenny Hayes is under 23??? seems to of been around for years.

Heyes is 22 from memory, he made his debut when he was 18-19! Thank you someone agrees with Luke Ablett!

 

[meltiger]

Heyes is 22 from memory, he made his debut when he was 18-19! Thank you someone agrees with Luke Ablett!

I agree with Kev

lol

 

[CyberKev]

A bit of Hawthorn bias there.
Campbell Brown worthy? don't think so

Bartel is a definite starter
I agree with Lockyno1 Luke Ablett has really stepped up this year. perhaps in skipworths position.

Are you sure Lenny Hayes is under 23??? seems to of been around for years.

Osborne is the dodgy one. Brown would be the best under 23 back pocket going around and had a fine season, before stupidly (less caring types may say understandably) assaulting Matthew Lloyd and scoring himself an early end of year.

Bartel is a fine player, but couldn't get ahead of the other midfielders listed.

Bartel, Steve Johnson & Aaron Davey were probably the unluckiest players not to get picked.

 

[CyberKev]

I would have probably moved Kosi off the bench into your side, dropped Minson and added Griffen to the bench.

Kosi is tops, but he's on the bench because he is back-up ruck, back-up CHF, back-up FF & back-up CHB. Essentially he's not in the starting line-up for matters of team balance.

You need two ruckman, and Minson is the young ruckman in the comp who impresses me most. He has that touch of aggro & menace that I like to see in a big man.

Do Hawthorn really have more under 23's than Richmond? We have a hell of a lot.

Richmond has a greater complement of 21 and under players, but not 23 and under. Recently Wallace was lamenting the discrepancy the Tiger's list contained between 28+ players and 21- players. He wanted to have a greater proportion of players in that 22-27 range.

Hawthorn has a considerable number of 23 and under players playing, while Richmond has a core of 21 and under players developing (to differing degrees) in the VFL. A good proportion of these are KPP types.

 

[CyberKev]

I agree with Kev

lol

Yeah, I honestly couldn't agree with myself more on this one

I'm not anti-Luke, but from the times I've seen him play, he ranks well below numerous other younger footballers that are going around.

Maybe I just have too high an expectation of players carrying the Ablett bloodline?