Declan Hamilton - the forgotten Recruit - Can he make it

[bornadog]

From Club Site:

Season in short:

Recruited to the Club with pick number 39 in last year’s draft, Declan Hamilton experienced a development year for Footscray.
The 19-year-old gained confidence playing 18 games against bigger bodies in the VFL, and will be well-placed as he enters his first full pre-season as an AFL footballer.

Hamilton spent the majority of his year across half-forward, with stints on the wing and through the midfield.
He enjoyed a purple patch from rounds five to seven, collecting 22, 23 and 17 disposals – with his crafty skills and football smarts on show.

I think 2016 is a bit of a make or break for Hamilton. EDIT: MAKE THAN 2017. We have lots of players his size competing for pretty much the same positions.

He needs to bring something different to the table and that could be a role like a goal sneak. He showed in the VFL last year he can kick some freakish goals.

Hopefully he has added to his draft weight of 68 kgs, as he was pushed off the ball too easily at VFL level.

I think he has the footy smarts to make it at AFL level.

[Testekill]

Apparently more than a few VFL teams were putting in time stopping his distribution last year. I'd say that he has all the talent required but he's just not quite as slick with the ball in hand as Dale or Daniel so his lack of size hurts him a bit more than it does them.

[F'scary]

We are already way ahead in terms of average returns on the 2014 draft. From what I saw on TV, he showed promise in the VFL. Did he get selected as an AFL emergency for any games?

[ledge]

From what I saw he is still a baby , his voice hadnt even broken, was quite funny listening to him yell out from the interchange.
I think he is more longer term than this year .
Definitely has talent and very silky but his body needs work and if you do it too quick he will get injuries, I would personally watch him later on this year and see where he is in development.

[stefoid]

We can afford to give him a bit of time if he keeps improving.

[Webby]

Hamilton's frame's got s heap of weight left to put on it. He's a longer term project who I think will pay off.
He's going to get fitter, faster and stronger. Combine that with his very good disposal, and he's a very good footballer.

His only fault is that he's young. And there's a natural remedy for that!

[Greystache]

Hamilton's frame's got s heap of weight left to put on it. He's a longer term project who I think will pay off.
He's going to get fitter, faster and stronger. Combine that with his very good disposal, and he's a very good footballer.

His only fault is that he's young. And there's a natural remedy for that!

Peptides?

[stefoid]

My only concern is - does he show any aptitude for contested footy at all?

[boydogs]

Definitely has AFL traits, it will be interesting to see how he goes this year

[ratsmac]

It's definitely another development year for him. Our depth atm should sort of help him in the sense, by that I mean it's hard for anyone to get a game, so no pressure on him to break into the seniors at this point of his career. The only pressure for him should be to simply improve his game bit by bit until his body develops. So as long as he shows steady improvement he should warrant getting another contract beyond this year because he certainly has a footy brain and nouse. Plus if he becomes great it will piss off the Adelaide Crows.

[The Bulldogs Bite]

Make or break year? Not even close.

He was always going to take the longest to develop out of last year's draft. Improvement is key, but 2017 will be more important for him.

[Remi Moses]

Blimey! Make or break?
Just a tad early on Hamilton .!
Please exude some patience with some of our players

[Smads57]

Liked his skills in the VFL games I watched him play. Found it frustrating in a few games where he tried giving the ball off to players in perceived better positions when he should have kicked at goal himself. Unselfish player.

[soupman]

Hamilton only looks like a slow developer due to the phenomenal debut seasons of the rest of his draft class, and his body being the least developed (although Bailey Dale looked pretty raw at the start of the season too).

You would imagine if he continues to perform well at VFL level the club would keep him on, and I'm confident that Beveridge will give pretty much every player an opportunity at senior level to have a chance at proving they are good enough before the club makes the call on delisting them. The only exception to this are players like Fuller who looked completely out of their depth at VFL level at pretty much all times.

[Go_Dogs]

Like every young player taken outside of the top 20 in the draft, every year is make or break.

Given the immediate impact we've had from the others taken in the 2014 draft, I think we can provide more time for Declan to develop than we otherwise would, which in a way is perverse. He was always going to be a player who required a year or 2 of physical development before we'd get a grasp on whether he'd make it - talented yes, but will his body hold up?

I'm looking forward to seeing how it comes together and where he can establish himself in the pecking order.