I'm worried about Sanders.

[my plums]

Needs to find a way to impact more across four quarters and maybe go in a bit harder to a few contests but otherwise he is developing nicely.

[Rusty12]

I get it.
I don't think it is clear, who or what player he will be when he is 25, or if you will be a Dog or a Devil at that stage.
He doesn't waste the footy, and despite how it looks, in terms of speed, he is not getting caught with the footy like he did in year 1.
He is working it out, under the bright lights, which is a good sign.

[SquirrelGrip]

I see a lot of Scott West in Ryley Sanders.

[comrade]

I see Ryley following the trajectory of Scott West's career.

Good call, definitely can see some similarities.

[hujsh]

Good call, definitely can see some similarities.

He needs to toughen up first though. Sticking more tackles and being stronger in the contest is probably the hurdle that keeps him out of the midfield proper.

[SquirrelGrip]

He needs to toughen up first though. Sticking more tackles and being stronger in the contest is probably the hurdle that keeps him out of the midfield proper.

His strength will come with age and preseason. Scott West wasn't that strong when he first started either. They are both very determined and work hard on the track.

[Angak]

Buckley praised Sanders on the fox coverage Saturday night. I suspect he'll make a move for him if he gets announced as head coach of the Tassie team

[hujsh]

His strength will come with age and preseason. Scott West wasn't that strong when he first started either. They are both very determined and work hard on the track.

Yes, he will also hopefully grow the confidence and mentality in tandem.

[Aidan7557]

Quite a unique player in the AFL. High half forward with elite hands and good ability to work into space. Has improved so much in just one off season and we are slowly seeing his turn of speed and agility which will only grow with confidence like a lot of you guys have said. Goal sense is elite which I didn't see coming into 2025 and that's been a big bonus too.

[FrediKanoute]

I see a lot of Scott West in Ryley Sanders.

I think that is a good call. To me he is an accumulator who hurts you because he gets the ball time and time again. If I had a concern its his handball to kick ratio which is skewed very heavily in favour of handballs. I'd like to see that balance up a bit, but overally I tihnk he is doing really well.

[Ozza]

I'm always very biased to a 'one-grabber' - and that is what he is. He is so effective and getting a hot ground ball to a team mate in a better position.

Do yourself a favour and keep an eye on him in that situation. I think he is going really well, and will eventually be an inside mid - but for right now and is contributing really well each week. He's more or less averaging 20 disposals, a goal and 6.5 score involvements per week - which I think is a great return for a second year player. Freijah is getting more airtime (and midfield time) but their stats are almost identical. We've got a couple of good ones.

[GVGjr]

Sanders can potentially be a very good footballer and it's been pleasing to see the way he can now contribute on the scoreboard.
The two area's that we need to see improvement on are meters gained from his possessions and when we see an improved kick to handball ratio
He can certainly get there but there is a bit of improvement to come beforehand.

[Scorlibo]

Very happy with how he's tracking. Seems to float in and out of games but can put a lot of that down to the role he's playing.

Have we incorrectly pigeonholed him as a future inside mid? He is a good mover and decision maker in space. Good skills, takes his chances in front of goal and although not straight-line quick has a turn of pace. If he keeps on this trajectory he can be a very good outside mid.

[Rusty12]

Scott West had a whole lotta NASTY, and that drove him a long way.
You can't fake that level of NASTY either.
I get the similarities of hands and feet, etc, probably more Simon Black if we are making elite comparisons.

[jazzadogs]

Sanders can potentially be a very good footballer and it's been pleasing to see the way he can now contribute on the scoreboard.
The two area's that we need to see improvement on are meters gained from his possessions and when we see an improved kick to handball ratio
He can certainly get there but there is a bit of improvement to come beforehand.

He is definitely prone to a handball backwards, but it's not always a bad thing as he creates time and space for the next disposal to have big metres gained.