FIRST, some apologies. I am a big fan of Tom Lynch's bustle, and think he may well end up a first-round draft choice on Saturday. James Strauss has a lovely kick, David Zaharakis has speed and I like Luke Shuey's ability to involve the players around him. Not to mention Tom Rockliff's simple knack for getting the ball and kicking goals.

Those five players have all held a place in my top 25 in the past weeks and months, with Jordan Roughead, Rhys O'Keefe, Michael Gugliotta, Dan Hannebery, Rhys Stanley and Mitch Robinson also, in my opinion, chances to play good AFL football. I found it really hard to separate the players from about Michael Walters onwards.

OK, now that I've covered my butt . . .

This is not a mock draft, more my personal rankings of this year's draft crop, after seeing the boys play live, watching a stack of tapes, interviewing many of the players, speaking to people who know them well and running my thoughts past some trusted advisers.

Looking back at last year's list, I am reasonably happy. I should have had the nerve to put Pat Veszpremi up higher. "Junior" Rioli looked after me, and I was satisfied with the small glimpses we saw of Patrick Dangerfield this season. I'd probably nudge Callan Ward up a few spots based on what I saw this year, and Rhys Palmer at No. 12? Hmm . . . that may be my slip-up, but I still believe others may pass him as their careers unfold from here. Let's wait and see.

1. Jack Watts
(Sandringham Dragons, 196 centimetres, 82 kilograms)
Watts is the most complete prospect in this year's draft. He has all the athletic qualities you could want in a key forward — he's quick, agile, he's a good kick and he can mark. Most importantly, it’s not all potential as he has put all those things on show already. Watts loves a big stage — witness his last-minute pack mark and match-winning goal in the first game of this year's national under-18s championships — and seems a really happy, assured and at-ease person.

He has major ambition and I think he'll lap up the challenge of being at the wooden spoon club.

2. Chris Yarran
(Swan Districts, 180cm, 83kg)
For the past few days I’ve been thinking: can you really have Chris at No. 2? But I'm backing him in. He is just an exceptionally gifted player.

People are going to love watching him. He has beautiful skills and an ability to either involve those around him or just do it himself and kick goals. He hasn't proved himself as a midfielder, but as he develops his fitness — and I think he'll thrive in an AFL environment — he'll spend increasing time in there. Eighteen months ago, Chris was incredibly shy, he almost didn’t even want people to notice him. Now, he seems so much more content and confident in himself. I think he’ll be a great player.

3. Nick Naitanui
(Swan Districts, 201cm, 94kg)
Nick "Nat" has some work to do, but which draftee doesn't have skills to
hone? He offers far too much and can do too many things to drop him any
lower than here. We’ve all been told how high he can jump and how fast he can run, but what I love is how, if the ball is anywhere near him, he will fight to the death to win it, tackling anyone in his way. He is determined to learn and improve, and I think his progress will speed up enormously once he starts working with AFL coaches every day.

4. Jackson Trengove
(Calder Cannons, 197cm, 89kg)
Need someone to play on "Buddy"? Jackson's your man. He has the height, the pace and the athleticism and although he's played a lot as a ruckman, he looks natural in defence. Some have queried his kick, but it looks OK to me. What I like most is that he's a real ruffian — he loves getting stuck into opponents and roughing them up, getting into their heads. I saw him unsettle the normally unflappable Ben McEvoy playing for the Calder Cannons against Murray last year, and hear he did the same thing to Jack Watts in a scratch match during the AIS Academy’s South African trip this year. He’d be a great, strong-minded person to have around a club. Pending another positive final medial report — he tore his hamstring from behind his knee this year — I’d happily pick him.

5. Tyrone Vickery
(Sandringham Dragons, 200cm, 89kg)
Vickery is intriguing. Every time I got it into my head that I like him better as a key forward, he didn’t attack his marks with the vigour I'd remembered, but played with really nice touch in the ruck. Then, when I watched him as a ruckman, he'd be hurling himself around in the forward line and looking much better there. At the end of it all, I really like him. Sometimes, it worries me when you can’t decide which position a player best fits, but I think Vickery legitimately does both well.

6. Hamish Hartlett
(West Adelaide, 184cm, 77kg)
Hartlett is a class act: he’s not a speed machine, but he can pick where the
ball’s going to go and gets there first. His ability to get his arms and hands
free while being tackled is impressive. His skills are top notch, he can do
good things in tight spaces, and he knows how to kick goals. He's had a
year out of school working and I think he’s itching to get to an AFL team and get this thing started.

7. Tom Swift
(Claremont, 191cm, 85kg)
Swift is a big call here, given he has barely played in two years. But all I've ever seen of him, I've loved — he wins heaps of the ball and I really like how he ducks into packs and emerges out the other side with the ball. He's grown, and he has speed. It’s a worry that neither of his two knee injuries has involved contact, but all I’ve heard on his progress has been encouraging. Tom seems a smart, sensible kid and you can expect to see his name in a leadership group before too long.

8. Ayce Cordy
(Geelong Falcons, 202cm, 78kg)
I haven't seen a heap of Ayce — he had a shoulder reconstruction this
year — but on what I saw at the end of 2007 and in an AIS game this year, I'm happy to rank him here. He is one of the skinniest people I have ever laid eyes on, but his height — combined with his running ability, make him quite a scary proposition. I don’t think that there’s a player like him around, so if he makes it, I’m not sure who you put on him. He's a really clean mark and the way he can scoop up balls at his feet is quite incredible.

9. Daniel Rich
(Subiaco, 184cm, 83kg)
Rich is as tough as they come. Lock him in to play a lot of games at a high level. He wins his own ball and has one of the longest, loveliest left-foot kicks you'll see. The question is how much — in his second senior WAFL season — he has developed this year, and I know he is keen to start improving his work-rate so he can bust past the taggers. But like Hartlett, he’s been out of school for a year and was ready to be drafted last year. He’d be desperate to get into it and like any 18-year-old, has plenty of improvement in him.

10. Steele Sidebottom
(Murray Bushrangers, 184cm, 81kg)
Sidebottom reminds me a bit of a little Jack Russell terrier — always seems to be hanging around, always on the move, looking for something to do. I think this, in combination with his great instincts — he knows where to get to, just before he needs to be there — make up for his lack of leg speed. He’s a great overhead mark for his size and it will be interesting to see if this can translate to AFL level, where everyone will be bigger again. He plays with poise, dare and inventiveness.

11. Jack Ziebell
(Murray Bushrangers, 188cm, 86kg)
Supporters will love Ziebell. He has a knack for winning up-for-grabs balls, and is brave and strong-willed (with a classy kick, on both sides, to match). The question is where his spot will be — forward, midfield or back? Or could he end up doing all, whenever required, well? He won't die wondering, will really inspire his teammates to come with him and will
wind up a leader.

12. Stephen Hill
(184cm, 69kg)
Don’t be fooled by this skinny little whippet — he’s as tough as they come. He’s got great skills and as his confidence grows (I think he’ll take a little while to adjust to AFL footy) he'll start breaking away on some dashing runs and kicking long goals. He's busy, diligent, and will be highly
exciting to watch.

13. Michael Hurley
(Northern Knights, 193cm, 92kg)
Hurley is big and mean — but there’s more to him than that. A key defender, he controls the space around him really well, never seems to get rattled, has excellent anticipation and can hit teammates on the chest from 50 metres away. The question is positioning — Hurley looks a natural full-back, but he might get caught out for pace off-the mark against the sort of full-forwards he’d have to play on. That said, I'd call his name knowing he could play centre half-back or as a forward.

14. Sam Blease
(Eastern Ranges, 184cm, 70kg)
Blease is another dasher. He’ll get the ball, run, give it, get it back and
run again. Of the line breakers in this draft, he and Hill are the best. He’s
still skinny, but his height is fi ne and he has great balance. I think he could
become a bigger possession winner at AFL level — the way the game is
played will suit him.

15. Nick Suban
(North Ballarat Rebels, 180cm, 83kg)
Suban is a natural — he gets the ball, can take a mark, and has a thumping
kick on him. He can get through traffic with a shake of his hips and
has notched some good handball receive numbers this year too. The
skinfolds need attention, but I’m sure that will happen once he himself gets
into a club.

16. Michael Walters
(Swan Districts, 177cm, 73kg)
If Walters slips out of the top 20, someone's getting a bargain. I'd consider him a midfi elder, but perhaps he’ll start out in the forward line. He’s not zippy, but has a knack for winning contested footy and finding space. A nice, smart, nifty little player with lovely skills.

17. Phil Davis
(North Adelaide, 196cm, 85kg)
I wish I could have seen more of Davis, who injured his shoulder midyear,
but everything I’ve seen, I've liked, so I feel comfortable including him. He's an athletic backman who likes to bound away when he can. You won’t hear anyone say a bad word about his nature and leadership
potential.

18. Lewis Johnston
(North Adelaide, 193cm, 84kg)
Johnstone has tricks — I can’t see him becoming a real power forward,
but he’ll grab crafty marks when he doesn’t seem in the contest and kick
goals from the boundary line. Might kick six one week and then none the
next, but come up with the match winner after the siren. I see him as a full forward — he’s smart, with speed off the mark and anticipation. A “could be anything” type.

19. Mitch Brown
(Sandringham Dragons, 195cm, 82kg)
Brown is this year’s bolter — he could be a surprise fi rst-rounder having
missed the Dragons squad at the start of the year. I like how hard he works — a key forward, he pushes really hard both up and across the
ground. He’s a really honest player, no mucking around. He gets himself into space to mark and has also grabbed some good ones under pressure.

20. Shaun McKernan
(Calder Cannons, 196cm, 94kg)
McKernan will become a very big man. The query’s on where he’ll play
— is he big enough to play in the ruck (he has a great leap) or will he become a better forward? I like him as a forward — his strength is his long
arms, and he instinctively goes for the ball with them stretched up high. His marks tend to stick. He’s not as boisterous as Trengove, he’s a quieter kid, but seems to have some real resolve about him.

21. Dayne Beams
(Southport, 186cm, 77kg)
Beams is a neat and tidy midfielder. He brings teammates into the game
with his handpassing and is willing to push back hard and link things up — often getting two or three possessions as his team takes the ball through the midfield.

22. Jordan Lisle
(Oakleigh Chargers, 195cm, 93kg)
I can see Lisle turning into a monster centre half-back (although he's also
played forward a lot). Like Hurley, he hasn’t got a burst of speed, but seems really sure of himself and in control of the space around him.

23. Ashley Smith
(Dandenong Stingrays, 186cm, 85kg)
Ash, I think, is a midfi eld prospect, although he’s played forward and
looks good at half back — really diffi cult to get past. Great speed, great
balance and a beautiful kick. I’m sure as he develops he'll learn to run with
the ball even more. There’s not much fuss about him either, he has an “all
business” look about him.

24. Ryan Schoenmakers
(Norwood, 194cm, 84kg)
On first look, Schoenmakers seems a "third tall" type, although at 194-
centimetres he may become more than that. He's been compared to Ryan O'Keefe and that's fair — he works pretty hard up the ground, and has clean hands. Once in a game, he also seems capable of kicking multiple goals.

25. Casey Sibosado
(Xavier College/ Oakleigh Chargers, 192cm, 72kg)
Here’s my smokey. I can’t see anyone picking Sibosado this high, but once he turns out to be a star I want to be able to say “I told you so”. (note: If he doesn’t work out let’s pretend this article never happened!). Casey has talent, pure and simple — he gets the ball when he shouldn’t, has a knack for nudging players in the back with his chest and getting his arms up to mark, he times his leaps really well and can play down back and go for a run, although I like him as a forward most. The trick for him is forcing his own involvement in a game. But once he’s in it, he can do anything. If he makes it, he’ll be hugely exciting to watch.