Koby Stevens the ideal recruit for the Western Bulldogs

[bornadog]

Sam Landsberger From: Herald Sun October 24, 2012 2:56PM



THE football world doesn't know much about Koby Stevens yet, but his TAC Cup club says the Western Bulldogs have just acquired a tough and fearless midfield wrecking ball on the cheap.

Stevens was today traded to the Dogs for pick 44 after being starved of AFL opportunities in his three years at West Coast.

The 187cm, 83kg inside midfielder played just 11 games despite blistering form in the WAFL and is expected to take little time fitting into Dogs coach Brendan McCartney’s side.

“He’ll be a sensational player. He was one of the toughest, hardest players to go through this program,” Gippsland Power region manager Peter Francis said today.

“He was probably averaging around the 35-40-possession mark in the WAFL every week.

“He’s strong overhead, he can play back, through the midfield or go forward and he’s been one of our better tacklers too.

“So he’s got versatility and he’s just such a good contested player.”

Francis said Stevens was a “tackling machine” – much like Power graduate and the Dogs first-round pick last year, Clay Smith.

“He’s as hard as a cats head, much like Clay Smith, and they’ll make a great combination too – both are from Bairnsdale and their dads work at Patties Pies together.

“It’s ironic they’re now both at the Dogs. Kobes is perfectly suited to Brendan McCartney."

Francis said it was always going to be tough for Stevens to crack West Coast’s star-studded midfield, headed by Daniel Kerr, Matthew Priddis, Scott Selwood, Andrew Gaff, Chris Masten and Luke Shuey.

“He’s a really contested player, there’s no doubt about that. It’s what he’s built his game around.”

The Dogs also secured father-son prodigy Lachie Hunter in the trade period, at the bargain price of pick 50.

Stevens caps an impressive off-season at Whitten Oval, with the Dogs also able to improve their draft order after moving on veteran full-back Brian Lake, who did not fit their list profile.

“His big, strong body along with a terrific attitude to his football make him a great acquisition,” Dogs list manager Jason McCartney said.

Stevens captained the AIS-AFL team before being jagged by the Eagles with pick 23 in the 2009 draft.

Stevens joins Smith, Tom Liberatore and Mitch Wallis as young, inside midfielders in the contested mould McCartney craves.

The new recruit played 48 games in the WAFL, amassing 997 disposals. He laid 83 tackles from 19 games in 2010 and became more attacking this season, booting 11.12 from 15 matches.

[Remi Moses]

Good luck to the young bloke.
Gotta now draft some midfield polish, hopefully!

[chef]

Sounds good.

Welcome to the Dogs Koby.

[Maddog37]

997 possies in 48 WAFL games is not averaging "35-40 a week" unless my math fails me.

Loved the tackle on Lenny Hayes in his highlight package. If he does more of that I would be rapt. Especially against the Saints.

[Dancin' Douggy]

997 possies in 48 WAFL games is not averaging "35-40 a week" unless my math fails me.

Loved the tackle on Lenny Hayes in his highlight package. If he does more of that I would be rapt. Especially against the Saints.

48 games is obviously more than one season.

I gather he averaged 35-40 last season?

[Ozza]

I think his former coach was a bit over excited about the 35-40 touches.

He gathered 38 tocuhes in one game. Most other games he was around the 20 possies and a goal type of return with 5 or 6 tackles.

[AndrewP6]

997 possies in 48 games is an average of 20.7 a game.

[ledge]

997 possies in 48 games is an average of 20.7 a game.

And he is only 21 hasn't reached his peak yet, looks all upwards to me considering he is a full on hard nut according to reports.

[Topdog]

       Round	Opposition	K	H	D	M	T	HO	FF	FA	G	B
 	Round 3	Claremont	8	9	17	5	6	0	1	2	0	1
 	Round 4	Peel Thunder	14	6	20	8	3	0	0	3	1	0
 	Round 6	East Perth	1	2	3	1	1	0	0	0	0	1
 	Round 8	Perth	          18	20	38	7	0	0	2	1	1	0
 	Round 9	West Perth	13	11	24	3	6	0	2	5	0	2
 Round 11	South Fremantle	8	19	27	2	2	0	2	2	0	2
 Round 12	Peel Thunder	10	10	20	2	1	0	1	2	1	0
 Round 13	Subiaco     	11	10	21	3	1	0	1	0	0	1
 Round 15	Perth  	         10	18	28	5	3	0	0	3	0	2
 Round 18	Swan Districts	14	11	25	7	3	0	2	0	3	0
 Round 19	Claremont	  8	4	12	5	1	0	1	1	1	0
 Round 21	South Fremantle	14	3	17	5	4	0	2	0	1	2
 1st Semi Final	East Perth	12	8	20	5	2	0	1	2	1	0
 Preliminary Swan Districts	15	6	21	3	3	0	2	3	1	1
 Grand Final	Claremont	10	5	15	5	7	0	2	0	1	0

http://www.wafl.com.au/stats/players/Y/2012/2/League

East Freo

[ledge]

       Round	Opposition	K	H	D	M	T	HO	FF	FA	G	B
 	Round 3	Claremont	8	9	17	5	6	0	1	2	0	1
 	Round 4	Peel Thunder	14	6	20	8	3	0	0	3	1	0
 	Round 6	East Perth	1	2	3	1	1	0	0	0	0	1
 	Round 8	Perth	          18	20	38	7	0	0	2	1	1	0
 	Round 9	West Perth	13	11	24	3	6	0	2	5	0	2
 Round 11	South Fremantle	8	19	27	2	2	0	2	2	0	2
 Round 12	Peel Thunder	10	10	20	2	1	0	1	2	1	0
 Round 13	Subiaco     	11	10	21	3	1	0	1	0	0	1
 Round 15	Perth  	         10	18	28	5	3	0	0	3	0	2
 Round 18	Swan Districts	14	11	25	7	3	0	2	0	3	0
 Round 19	Claremont	  8	4	12	5	1	0	1	1	1	0
 Round 21	South Fremantle	14	3	17	5	4	0	2	0	1	2
 1st Semi Final	East Perth	12	8	20	5	2	0	1	2	1	0
 Preliminary Swan Districts	15	6	21	3	3	0	2	3	1	1
 Grand Final	Claremont	10	5	15	5	7	0	2	0	1	0

http://www.wafl.com.au/stats/players/Y/2012/2/League

East Freo

Looks like Claremont tagged him

[Sockeye Salmon]

Looks like Claremont tagged him

Got injured during the game, I believe, as he did round 6

[ledge]

Got injured during the game, I believe, as he did round 6

All 3 games against Claremont?

[Sockeye Salmon]

All 3 games against Claremont?

I meant round 19. He did have 3 ordinary ones against Claremont, stats wise, didn't he?

[Raw Toast]

I meant round 19. He did have 3 ordinary ones against Claremont, stats wise, didn't he?

Pretty much, though 7 tackles in a grand final is decent, and a good game in which to have the most tackles you've had all season (not quite on the level of O'Keefe though!).

[ledge]

Pretty much, though 7 tackles in a grand final is decent, and a good game in which to have the most tackles you've had all season (not quite on the level of O'Keefe though!).

Tackles are a strange one, it means you chase but it also means you were second to the ball.