WXV: Beijing Thunder

[Ricochet]

So there you have it! That's our first trade period in a nutshell. How do you think we went?

Very very well. That midfield is juicey as now. Probably expecting a bit of Petrac and Lambert but they certainly have the talent to hold down those possies

Well done man

[Toga]

Thanks Rico! Stoked with how the midfield is looking 8)

Lambert showed he can score after he came back from injury, averaging 79 unsubbed! Might be asking a bit of Tracca but if he takes a bit of time to come on I'm sure guys like Lennon and Jenkins can step up to the plate.

[Ricochet]

Yeh Lambert certainly was handy. Out of interest (now that we don't have him), where does Conca fit in the Rich side now?

[Toga]

Yeh Lambert certainly was handy. Out of interest (now that we don't have him), where does Conca fit in the Rich side now?

Hopefully he can take that into next year, was actually getting some midfield minutes towards the end of the season as well 8)

I really don't know haha. Midfield is getting pretty deep now, especially if guys like Corey Ellis, Andrew Moore etc show a bit over preseason. Conca could fit in on either of the flanks I suppose but his best position is in the middle, however I think he's fallen down the pecking order a bit now.. Will be interesting to see where he fits in.

[Nige]

Love your work Toges, been a solid trade period for Beijing.  8)

[Toga]

Cheers Nige! Think it played out ok for us, lets just hope we can keep pushing on and knock on the door of the 8 next year :)

[Nige]

Also, if you're not gonna start Ben Lennon, you can trade him to a good home in Cairo where he'll start and be looked after.  :P

[Purple 77]

BEIJING CAME IN LIKE A PETREKING BAAALLLLLL


Seriously though, the day before he did his ACL, the melbourne camp were reporting he "was miles ahead of Brayshaw"...

The year off for him will have has much benefit as it did for Hulk I reckon, he'll come on a make an impact, 70 averaging midfielder/forward I reckon.

[Toga]

Also, if you're not gonna start Ben Lennon, you can trade him to a good home in Cairo where he'll start and be looked after.  :P

We'll see ;) We gave up a favourite son in Touk for him, so hopefully he repays the faith.

On paper our midfield depth is thin, however all of our 4 starting forwards should have M/F DPP, so I wouldn't be surprised to see Lennon starting if one of them moves into the midfield to cover for injuries/form.

[Toga]

BEIJING CAME IN LIKE A PETREKING BAAALLLLLL


Seriously though, the day before he did his ACL, the melbourne camp were reporting he "was miles ahead of Brayshaw"...

The year off for him will have has much benefit as it did for Hulk I reckon, he'll come on a make an impact, 70 averaging midfielder/forward I reckon.

Everyone about to get #petrekt ;)

Hadn't heard that Purps, but definitely a great thing to hear. He's got the build to be able to have an impact straight away, and his game looks great for SC, so lets just hope his ACL recovery continues according to plan and he can be a valuable member of our XV in 2015 8)

[Toga]

Team list updated post-trading! Still a few spots to fill through the drafts.

[Toga]

2016 WXV International Draft

Pick 1 (#49 overall): Nathan Broad
Height/Weight: 191cm/83kg
Recruited from: Swan Districts
Position: Defender
Bio: Medium-sized defender with elite pace and good endurance. Averaged 19 disposals and 6 marks in 20 games for Swan Districts in 2015. Looks to be a ready made player who can make an impact for the Thunder in 2016.

Pick 2 (#68 overall): Yestin Eades
Height/Weight: 183cm/80kg
Recruited from: North Ballarat Rebels
Position: Midfielder/Forward
Bio: Dangerous small/medium forward with potential to push into the midfield. While he has struggled with consistency at times, he has a real X-factor about him. If he can improve his consistency he has the potential to be a value selection late in the draft.

Pick 3 (#72 overall): Matthew Flynn
Height/Weight: 199cm/101kg
Recruited from: NSW/ACT Rams
Position: Ruck
Bio: Aggressive and athletic young ruckman with the ability to play at either ends of the ground when not in the middle. Clean hands for a big man, Flynn was touted as one of the strongest rucks in his draft class, displaying great ruck nous and the ability to play as a dangerous marking forward.

Pick 4 (#83 overall): Tim O'Brien
Height/Weight: 192cm/83kg
Recruited from: New Delhi Tigers (delisted player)
Position: Forward
Bio: Has taken a few years to develop but came into the system as a highly rated centre half forward in 2012. Was traded from Beijing to NDT as a part of the Tom Bell trade last year but was delisted without playing a senior game in 2015. With the Hawthorn forward line ageing we hope that Tim will be able to push his way into the team and show something as he builds on his slim frame.

Pick 5 (#93 overall): Daniel Butler
Height/Weight: 182cm/80kg
Recruited from: Dublin Destroyers (delisted player)
Position: Midfielder
Bio: Missed a majority of his debut season after having surgery to fix a damaged meniscus. Known as a skilful midfielder with pace to burn, Dan also has the ability to play as a dangerous small forward when needed. Showed a good defensive game in the juniors where he averaged over 5 tackles per game playing in the middle.

Pick 6 (#99 overall): PASS - to be filled by PSD Pick 5

Pick 7 (#102 overall: PASS - to be filled by PSD Pick 16

[Toga]

2015 WXV Preseason Draft

Pick 1 (#5 overall): Andrew Gallucci
Height/Weight: 178cm/67kg
Recruited from: Williamstown
Position: Forward
Bio: Nippy small forward with elite speed and great footskills. The 22 year old kicked 29 goals from 19 games for Williamstown last year and was rewarded with VFL Team of the Year honours, highlighting his fantastic season. We see him as using his pace and tackling ability to become a contributor in the forward line, however his excellent endurance leaves the potential for some action in the midfield at times.

Pick 2 (#17 overall): Gach Nyuon
Height/Weight: 201cm/81kg
Recruited from: Dandenong Stingrays
Position: Ruck
Bio: Extremely athletic ruckman who is still very new to the game. May take some time to develop but has elite speed for a player of his size, while he also placed in the top two for both absolute running and absolute standing vertical jump. His speed and athleticism make him a tough matchup for opposition rucks around the ground, while his ruck nous is improving with every game he plays.

[Toga]

2015 WXV Rookie Draft

Pick 1 (#5 overall): Kade Stewart
Height/Weight: 180cm/70kg
Recruited from: South Fremantle
Position: Midfielder
Bio: Small inside midfielder/half-forward with a precise left foot kick. Regarded as a very good user of the ball, and with a strong overhead mark for his size, Stewart will have to put on some size before being able to make an impact at senior level.

Pick 2 (#51 overall): Xavier Richards
Height/Weight: 195cm/91kg
Recruited from: Buenos Aires Armadillos
Position: Defender
Bio: Developing key defender with good speed and decision making skills. Has received limited opportunity so far in his career but we expect him to see more game time in the next couple of years so he makes a good rookie list prospect. Joins his brother Xavier at Beijing.

[Toga]

Positional Changes Announced

Positional changes have been announced ahead of the 2016 season, with the Thunder seeing only a few unexpected changes. James Aish's mid/def eligibility is probably the most significant change for the Thunder, however a few that were expected to be midfielders have wound up as permanent forwards or defenders. We are pretty happy with how the list shapes up at this stage however, and it seems unlikely we'll see any drastic changes in the second trade period.

Our team and depth chart now look something like this:
BEST XV:
D: H.Taylor, M.Jaensch, J.Thurlow, H.Lumumba
M: C.Ward, O. Wines, L.Neale, B.Ellis
R: B.Grundy
F: D.Zorko (M), A.Christensen, K.Lambert (M), C.Petracca (M)
IC: J.Caddy, B.Hill

RESERVES:
D: J.Aish (M), S.Mayes, M.Talia, T.Jonas, L.Brown, T.Clurey, D.Howe, T.Richards, T.Pears, A.Carlile, N.Broad, R.Smith*, X.Richards
M: J.Polec, D.Butler, K.Stewart*
R: C.Wood, M.Flynn, G.Nyuon, B.Preuss*
F: B.Lennon, J.Jenkins, B.Kennedy (M), A.Black, D.Stanley, M.Jones, Y.Eades, T.O'Brien, A.Gallucci, J.Hunt*