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Re: National U18's Championships
It seems people agree with me about Natinui.[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]Comment
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Re: National U18's Championships
and as if on cue...
No shortage of tall timber in AFL draft
BORDERLINE FLYINGComment
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Re: National U18's Championships
I went and had a look yesterday and then watched the games on my IQ last night. Pretty impressed with the quality of the players this year. It seems like the first 2 rounds will be pretty good for finding quality players. Hope we can avoid having to use our first pick on Cordy.
Some players that caught my eye or I had a good look at due to hype. GVGjr I have put a couple of questions in for you regarding a couple of the players. This is just my opinion from one game (I have only seen a handful of the players on show more than once) so I would not read too much into anything I say. Just how I saw the players on the day.
Watts- I would probably take him number 1 based on the amount of development he seems to have left in him. Tall players who are that quick and have sticky hands dont come around that often. Seems pretty agile at ground level as well.
Rich- He is a bloody good player by the looks of it. Not the most accountable type and Mitch Banner got most of his touches while on Rich but he was very damaging and will clearly go top 3.
Natanui- I had heard he was very much a work in progress and it certainly seems that way. Will go high based purely on his athleticism. WA won the centre bounce clearances almost entirely on his back. Certainly needs to develop alot though. I would be nervous having a pick in the top 3. If you pass on him then you risk having it coming back to haunt you down the track. If you take him you could end up with a Fijian high jumper who cant get a kick.
Walters- Really liked this kid from WA. He was the best kick I saw out on the ground yesterday. Just has a piercing left boot and can find the footy. Seems to have good speed and potential to be pretty good overhead. Has those long arms ala Josh Hill. Will watch where he goes with interest.
Zaharakis- Liked this kid. Runs in straight lines, takes them on and has good skills. Sure thing I would say.
Banner- Good inside midfielder. Not a huge amount of quality in his touches but he was always under pressure due to the contested nature of most of his touches. Will be drafted just a matter of how late. Draft camp will probably decide.
Vickery- Apparently coming off a knee reco but I thought he was really impressive. Very competitive and used his body brilliantly in marking contests. Positions himself well and attacks the ball in the air. Seems a good ruck/forward prospect.
Yarran- Good player. Smooth mover and very clever. Hard to say whether he would be a midfielder or a forward at the next level. Would he be a likely top 10 pick GVGjr?
Sheedy- First thing you notice is he takes players on instinctively. Its almost as if he has a lack of awareness but his ability to stand up in a tackle or to get clear is very good. Seems a good finisher as well. Going to be a dangerous player.
McKernan- Took a few good marks but what I liked about him was his competitiveness. He was very angry.
Sloane- Looked a solid and composed half back. I like those smart players and he is a good size. Do you think he will get drafted GVGjr?
Lynch- Liked his size and the way he moved. Did bugger all really apart from a few glimpses. Will be interesting to see where he ends up.
Robertson- He is a bigger kid which makes him hard to judge especially when he doesn't have awesome speed. From my view he looked like a player who will be drafted most likely late first round.
McKenzie- Strong and powerful little player. Looks like a bit of a Sydney type player. I liked what I saw. Got good hands and presented well up forward. Would like to see how good a runner he is.
Hughes- Takes them on and finsihed well. Would like to see him a few more times to get a handle on his kicking.
Butcher- Is he under the age limit? Very good positioning from a big man and very brave. Looks a good player.
Ziebell- Lethal left foot and pretty strong through the core of his body. Looked a class above to me. Certain first rounder from my limited viewing.
Cornelius- Anyone know how tall this guy is. A smart forward who was able to get on the end of alot of kick and hope type delivery.
Heath- Looks like he will be a good size when older and has a nice left boot on him. Didn't see enough to form an opinion but will be very interested in him.
Hine- Caught my eye with clean hands and a thumping left boot a few times. Has a strange build on him that makes it hard to lael him with a position at this early stage. Another one I would like to see more of.
Tiller- Skinny, tall leading forward. Did bugger all but moved well.
Browne- Tall red headed ruckmen/forward who did a few nice things. Took a couple of good marks. Liked his size.
Hurley- Hmm just seemed like a big physical kid to me. Got turned by Natanui and a couple of other guys. Will be interesting to see if he an make the transition from dominant junior full back into the top level. Would like to see his tests for pace and agility.
Have not rewatched the SA and NSW game yet but it seemed to have the least quality of the 3 games.Comment
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Re: National U18's Championships
I forgot to mention one player who caught my eye. I think it was Stanton from Vic Metro. Had very good hands and always got them clear as soon as got the ball. Unsure of his other attributes but he had the best hands on the ground.Comment
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Re: National U18's Championships
Rich looked a class above the rest. His ability to win the ball inc lose, break a tackle and yet still find a 40-50m pass in heavy traffic was a highlight. He looked the pick of the bunch for mine.
Natanui is overhyped at the moment, but it's not hard to see 'why' either. Not sure I've ever seen anyone jump like that. He won just about every tap-out because he's half a meter higher in the air than anybody else. He took a strong contested grab too and is quick on his feet, so that will help him at AFL level with repeated efforts at the contest. He needs to find more of the ball though, that's the worry for recruiters at this stage. It'll be interesting to see where he falls, but you'd suspect there's going to be a club to take a punt on him very high still.
Banner finds the ball a lot and is tough as nails but as I've been told quite a few times before, his skills aren't great, he turns the ball over regularly.
I thought Yarran was pretty impressive, he looks like a clever player with good skills, where is he touted to go at this early stage?W00F!Comment
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Re: National U18's Championships
who are the ruck prospects for the 2008 draft apart from naitanui?Comment
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Re: National U18's Championships
I thought the passage of play with Watts dancing around Natanui was very symbolic (until Watts stuffed it up). Natanui, despite all of his acolades and athletic ability, still needs to learn to kick, bounce, as well as his own limitations (his run in the first quarter was downright silly). With all the hype around him, I can see him being a major bust. Watts and Rich look like can't-miss prospects, and based on yesterday's performance, should both go ahead of Natanui.- I'm a visionary - Only here to confirm my biases -Comment
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Re: National U18's Championships
Thursday week and Friday week:
'And the Western suburbs erupt!'Comment
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Re: National U18's Championships
Talking to a Father of and one of the AFL-AIS Scholarship people this week (and no, he didn't play in the Carnival...) and he was saying what a great thing (the AIS scholarship) it was. The young Fella spent time in Canberra, then went on the South Africa trip, and then played in WA.
They were accompanied by Luke Darcy, Nathan Buckley, Jason McCartney and Michael Voss. Apparently these four are all genuinely "top blokes".
He is being Mentored by Nathan Buckley, Bucks rings him every few weeks to talk about his footy etc etc.
But the best thing, the young fella is an avid Western Bulldogs fan!
I won't name him (in case he's reading...) but he's ineligible for the draft this year (just too young) but next year is when it all happens (hopefully!)Comment
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