2012 Draft - Who do you like?

[Ghost Dog]

GD - did EQ go beyond Melbourne and speculate on who we will take?

No I don't think she did in the interview, but I think she wrote a speculative article to that effect. I will try to dig it up Wimberga.

[bulldogsthru&thru]

If Tippett nominates for the national draft, would GWS use pick 3 to get him?

Of the players we are potentially after i've heard rumours for each of O'Rourke, Stringer and Menzel that GWS will take them with pick 3. I hope none of these eventuate but particulary O'rourke. I think he would complement our midfield nicely and if they take one of Menzel or Stringer then that makes our choice with pick 6 easier to take the one available.

[Bulldog4life]

the only player I am not so keen on in our discussions is Plowman. Its not that I have anything against him as a player and if we did select him I would back the coach in, but I just think that with those early picks we should be targeting players that can really hurt the opposition around the ground and forward of centre, and therefore should not be selecting a rebounding KPP. I just cant think of a rebounding KPP that i would ever take over a damaging midfielder/forward if I was in the position of allocating a teams early draft picks.

According to a article on the AFL website "Some recruiters think he might end up as an AFL midfielder".

[The Pie Man]

According to a article on the AFL website "Some recruiters think he might end up as an AFL midfielder".

From the limited vision available on You Tube of Plowman, he reminded me a little of Bob Murphy - he looked a very attacking defender with nice disposal and good speed, & I wouldn't think midfield/forward would be a stretch for him

Wouldn't be unhappy at all if we got him.

[wimberga]

From the limited vision available on You Tube of Plowman, he reminded me a little of Bob Murphy - he looked a very attacking defender with nice disposal and good speed, & I wouldn't think midfield/forward would be a stretch for him

Wouldn't be unhappy at all if we got him.

Yeah I also would not be unhappy if we do get him as if we do, I am sure its part of a plan that BMAC has. However, if it were me, there are others I would take ahead of him.

I had heard talk htat he could become a good midfielder, but the question would then be "does he/could he do it better than the other guys in the draft who have been playing there for longer?"

[stefoid]

'Quigley from BF''s assessment of Ororuke, FWIW.

Jonothan O’Rourke
DOB: 21/4/94 Ht: 183 Wt 75

Emma Quayle has O’Rouke in her top 5 and I am not discounting his chances of going there but for me that would be massively overpaying for him. Those rating him at 5 see him as an inside ball winner with great spread and an elite kick. Personally I think he shows great spread but I am not convinced of the other two elements.

I see O’Rourke as an inside receiver who benefited a great deal from the heavy lifting done by the likes of Viney. He is not a very big guy and does not work through the traffic to win the ball himself very much. He does it a bit but it is not a facet of his game which I would consider very strong. When he gets the ball in tight situations he gets flustered and is definitely not one who seems to have that bit of extra time to make decisions. His priority seems to be to get rid of the ball as quickly as possible and hitting targets is an afterthought. He does not ride contact he just rids himself of the ball.

By hand he has pretty quick hands but looks to go backwards a lot or to a player with the opposition sweating on him. His handball style can look pretty awkward at times and the ball hits the ground a lot. In the AFL with players being that much quicker and stronger I have serious concerns about whether O’Rourke’s game will stand up particularly the handball side of it. As it is now he flinches when he hears footsteps and he needs to address that before it becomes too ingrained.

By foot he is better although I still would not put him in the elite category by a long way. His decision making at times leaves quite a bit to be desired and I could see a lot of the kicks he gets away with now being cut out in the AFL. He will pull out a good flat kick every now and then but more often his kicks have a bit too much loop for my liking. I acknowledge that he has an elite DE% but to me that is deceptive. If the ball goes 35m to a contest it is considered effective O’Rourke goes with quite a few of those even when that is not the best option. On shorter kicks his kicks are also just getting there or are getting there on the bounce and these are considered effective where I think they will not end up being effective in the AFL. His set shot is not as accurate as you would like and his goal sense is probably only average for a midfielder.

Once he gets away from the clearance though O’Rourke is a great worker and spreads really well into space. He will link up well and will push himself immediately after making a pass to be available again if needed. He gut runs well and from watching him play I would think he had one of the better tanks in this year’s draft. It is this ability to get into space and provide a link that he will build his AFL career. I see O’Rourke as a Joel Corey / Nigel Lappin type guy who is not really an elite player but at his best could be an important element in a premiership side. Both Corey and Lappin were not the most skillful or the greatest ball winners but they were receivers and provided excellent safety valves.

At the Champs O’Rourke played that similarly link in the chain role receiving the ball from the clearance winners and getting it to the guys who could use it well. He looked for Macrae a great deal when he got the ball and fed him when he possibly could. Viney was the clearance winner and Macrae was the guy who made things happen. O’Rourke showed he could get the ball but too me he looked to lack a bit of class and had significant issues which gave me cause for concern about a transition to the AFL.

[stefoid]

I think Ororuke would be happy to stay in Melbourne rather than come to us specifically. Thats the impression I got.

[wimberga]

Interesting read stefoid.

do you have links to his analysis on the other players we are looking at? (Stringer, Menzel, Macrae, Mayes, Plowman)

[stefoid]

He has done one on lachie plowman - posts to the brisbane board. Will do a complete writeup closer to the draft I believe. He is not afraid to comment on perceived weaknesses, which i Like. Doesnt mean he is accurate with his predictions, buts its nice hearing a different voice.

[Bulldog4life]

He has done one on lachie plowman - posts to the brisbane board. Will do a complete writeup closer to the draft I believe. He is not afraid to comment on perceived weaknesses, which i Like. Doesnt mean he is accurate with his predictions, buts its nice hearing a different voice.

Last year he didn't have Clay Smith or Michael Talia in his top 50!

[Maddog37]

For all the negatives, the strengths described are exactly what we need more strength in. Gut running, spread and speed.

[immortalmike]

I think Ororuke would be happy to stay in Melbourne rather than come to us specifically. Thats the impression I got.

He specifically named us as his preferred destination twice, despite Melbourne having a pick before us.

[GVGjr]

According to a article on the AFL website "Some recruiters think he might end up as an AFL midfielder".

If Plowman does develop as a midfielder then I think he will be very much like a David Mundy. I still think he better suited as a defender but he does have that versatility.

[Bulldog4life]

If Plowman does develop as a midfielder then I think he will be very much like a David Mundy. I still think he better suited as a defender but he does have that versatility.

Do you think we should pick him GVGjr? I suppose also it depends on who is chosen before him.

[GVGjr]

Do you think we should pick him GVGjr? I suppose also it depends on who is chosen before him.

I still think he is the right sort of player we need to look at. With Morris and Murphy closer to retirement then I'd be keen to try an identify a replacement now. Plowman would be
right in the mix.