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Western Bulldogs Football Club "Where it's cool to drool" -
Re: 2019 Draft Watch
What is the overall quality of this draft in the opinion of those who follow it closely?
Feels like we rate it if we wanted to hold onto 13 - though the offers were ridiculous - and I read one “expert” call it on par with last years.The dam wall has busted!Comment
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What should I tell her? She's going to ask.Comment
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Re: 2019 Draft Watch
There seems to be more varied opinions on players from early to late in the first round which is good for us as a kid we really rate will be available to us.
We may well be saying "who?" for our last two picks, and that can often be a good thing - Lachie Young came from nowhere but looks and inspired rookie selection from last year.Western Bulldogs: 2016 PremiersComment
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Re: 2019 Draft Watch
Gary Shaw was a westralian too wasn't he? I think he went at #1 in 1982. I was in HSC and I can remember sitting in the science lab reading the Sun (so long ago that there was still the Sun in the morning and the Herald in the evening) about the trick we played on Collingwood in the 1982 draftThey say Burt Lancaster has one, but I don't believe them.Comment
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Re: 2019 Draft Watch
It's a good mixture of players although probably a bit light on for the key position players
Regarding Lachie Young, I think he had been on our radar for a while before we drafted him
He's a good reader of the player and his kicking skills and marking abilities are effective and I also think he could be one of the more versatile players on our list
During last years practice games I thought he looked like he could play as a midfielder or as a forward.
Perhaps we will look at some of the slightly older players who have missed a bit of football but have the talent to impress.Western Bulldogs Football Club "Where it's cool to drool"Comment
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Re: 2019 Draft Watch
One of his 8 goal hauls was in the game when Geelong kicked the record score at Carrara.
I do recall Beaser kicking 8 goals out of our total of 9 (from memory Choco kicked the other one) in a game at VFL Park in the 80's.
Deven Robertson seems to be exactly the type of player who recruiters consciously avoid because they are too smart by half and know better than everyone else. I hope he is there with our pick and we pounce."Look at me mate. Look at me. I'm flyin'"Comment
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Re: 2019 Draft Watch
I'd be the opposite of that, I'd be asking the recruiters why they passed on him. Footy smarts, great attitude and the fact that he can play senior football early are compelling reasons to get him to any or every club.
I can't see him being available at our pick (I have him #3 on a draft order) and just think he's too good for so many clubs to prefer others over him.Western Bulldogs Football Club "Where it's cool to drool"Comment
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Re: 2019 Draft Watch
Dear draft watchers, AFEL.com.au (first rounder) ESPN (early second rounder, said two months ago) & Draft Central (first round/top 10) all have this guy as the big bolter. Any views you have would be appreciated. I see he's a St Bedes boy, so Bevo will love him. Twomey and Draft Central rate him at 17 in the talent order. Our pick 13 plus a few matched bids (ie Pick 15-16) would put this in the ball park it seems.
Draft Central Bio/Write up:
Height
188cm
Weight
77kg
Current Team
Sandringham Dragons, Vic Metro
Birthday
October 18, 2001
DRAFT ANALYSIS: “A first round bolter, Bergman could land as a top 10 selection on the back of his enormous upside and eye-catching traits.”
BOLTERS are part and parcel of each year’s draft and Miles Bergman finds himself fitting that bill in 2019. A confidence player, Bergman has grown into his top-age season to become a lock as one of Sandringham’s first three players to be taken off the board come draft time on the back of a serious highlight reel. Athleticism, power, high marking and goals from range are the things that have seen Bergman draw into the first round conversation, with his ability to take games over slowly becoming apparent. The wingman/half-forward also proved a match-winner this year, relieving late pressure in the Herald Sun Shield Grand Final with a sensational pack mark to help St Bede’s scrape home on his way to best afield honours. Bergman’s enormous upside is undeniable, with all of his best traits desirable to clubs across the board.
STRENGTHS:
X-factor
Vertical leap
Overhead marking
Kick penetration
Athleticism
IMPROVEMENTS:
Consistency
Accumulation
It is hard to miss Bergman in full flight, with his rare abilities making him one of the more eye-catching prospects at the top end. He is the player who Sandringham and St Bedes looked toward to provide a spark or break the game open given the damage he can do forward of centre. Much of that comes down to his penetrating kick, which makes Bergman a player who has few disposals, but disposals which count. He often kicks on the end of short bursts through traffic, longer runs down the line or strong marks overhead, gaining massive meterage and giving those further afield quick sight of the ball. If one passage best typifies Bergman’s traits, it came in the first term of Sandringham’s preliminary final loss to Oakleigh where he marked strongly from behind between three opponents and roosted home a shot from just beyond the arc. His attack on the ball in that bit of play was terrific, and could also be seen in his 11-disposal performance for Vic Metro against the Allies where his aerial ability really came to the fore in small glimpses. That attack on the ball, combined with his underrated tackling means Bergman is much more than a flashy outside mover with a bag of tricks.
For all the frills and moments which stick in the mind, there are also periods of games where Bergman is a lot less influential on the contest. While the areas of consistency and accumulation were ones which he improved on across the year, his NAB League disposal high of 19 is by no means outstanding for a player who spends so much time up the ground. He admittedly is not the kind of player to just rack up the numbers, but just imagine the impact he could have with over 20 disposals – it is a frightening proposition. His 18 disposals, eight marks and four goals against Geelong made that Wildcard Round performance arguably his best for the year, and is probably more the kind of game we can expect from him at the next level. As he moves into the elite system, maintaining his confidence and maintaining his steep rate of improvement will be key to his success. Expect to see him star at the National Draft Combine after missing pre-season testing this year.Rocket Science: the epitaph for the Beveridge era - whenever it ends - reading 'Here lies a team that could beat anyone on its day, but seldom did when it mattered most'. 15/7/2023Comment
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Re: 2019 Draft Watch
AFEL.com.au
MILES Bergman used to play cricket, and some tennis. He swam, played basketball for fun (there's a hoop in his backyard next to the boxing punching bag), and also loved the competitive nature of athletics, going head to head with other boys his age and battling it out.
At school, he even took up volleyball and hockey, almost just to complete the set of sports.
"I did a bit of everything, really," Bergman told AFL.com.au. "In the end I had to drop some off."
Football was never in danger of getting the chop. Bergman has wanted to be an AFL player since he started playing in his older brother's under-9s side as a seven-year-old.
Now he's only a month away from having his name called by a club, with Bergman one of the draft's big risers. His championships for Vic Metro was exciting, his form for the Sandringham Dragons at the end of the year showed his talent and his performance at the NAB AFL Draft Combine, under injury duress, was also excellent.
Put it all together and Bergman could be a first-round pick in November, with a number of clubs interested in the half-forward/wingman. Few would have predicted that at the start of the year.
It hasn't been a straightforward passage for the Sandringham Dragons prospect. Bergman missed almost all of his under-16s season with a stress fracture in his foot.
Then, having tried to catch up with his teammates last year he overdid it and suffered a stress fracture in the other foot. It meant everything went into getting himself ready for his crunch draft season.
"My big toe was really stiff and inflexible, so my foot was rolling around to get around it. That's why I started getting pressure on the outside of my feet. So that's why I was getting the stress fractures. After that I started running a bit straighter and didn't have any problems," he said.
After being sidelined for so long, Bergman wasn't sure how his 2019 season would pan out. When he was first called up to Vic Metro's under-18 squad, he had doubts he was good enough to be in that company.
"I didn't really expect it. I thought I was just a roundabout OK footballer. So I was really surprised and I didn’t know how I'd fit in. My confidence had gone from not playing a lot of footy. I missed all of the under-16s and half of the under-17s season," he said.
"Maybe I've lost what I had? But the more I trained and played it came back. But definitely at the start I was thinking 'Do I fit in here?'"
He did. With every game he started to show more of what he could do – take things on, kick it long (perhaps longer than any other in the pool), fly for marks, and play all over the ground.
Clubs started to visit his house (all bar one has come for an interview across the season) and it has made him reassess his goals.
"I thought if anything I'd be lucky to go in the rookie draft. I knew I definitely had the talent from the past but I didn't know whether it was still going to be there because I had been out so long. And just that confidence I needed to get back. I started to believe," he said.
Bergman isn't a big possession winner – he averaged 14 touches in 13 games for the Dragons this year – but clubs think he'll pick up more disposals as he demands the ball more and grows in self-belief.
Injury limited him towards the end of the season, with shin splints seeing Bergman play as a deep forward late in Sandringham's season. He was able to piece together a best-afield four-goal effort against the Geelong Falcons in round 18, and also show flashes of his skill in the Dragons' finals series.
The injury meant he was restricted at the NAB AFL Draft Combine, but he was still able to win the vertical jump test (77cm). After the Combine, he was on crutches for a week to rest his shins, and was made to take two weeks off all training to rest.
He's back now, swimming daily, and expects to be ready for the start of pre-season.
"I'm getting wrinkles every day from the water and go to school and everyone says 'Jeez you smell of chlorine'," Bergman said.
Bergman's time dealing with injuries had led to other things. The 18-year-old is about to start his year 12 exams, with plans to start a medicine degree next year. His father is a physiotherapist and his mum a nurse, but it's time in waiting rooms that has shaped his ambitions.
"Caring and wanting to help people comes in my nature from my parents. Then I did work experience at the vet and really enjoyed that but thought I'd prefer to work with people than animals," he said.
"I've always listened in to the doctors and what they're talking about while I've been waiting for appointments, so I've picked up some insight from that.
"It's helped me too along the way, too. I listen in and study it myself a bit and I might know what's best for me and it drives me to get back as quick as possible."Rocket Science: the epitaph for the Beveridge era - whenever it ends - reading 'Here lies a team that could beat anyone on its day, but seldom did when it mattered most'. 15/7/2023Comment
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Re: 2019 Draft Watch
Bergmen is an incredibly strong kick and very athletic. He should go in the first round of the draftWestern Bulldogs Football Club "Where it's cool to drool"Comment
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Rocket Science: the epitaph for the Beveridge era - whenever it ends - reading 'Here lies a team that could beat anyone on its day, but seldom did when it mattered most'. 15/7/2023Comment
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