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Pick 53: Jack Graham
- Thread starter puregreen
- Start date
Maybe I missed something but I didn't think his kicking was as bad as is being made out. I admit I was worried when three times the highlight on RV THEY cut away from him kicking but a lot of his kicks were in tight not when you would expect polish. Does look a bit of toning in the gym would be beneficial but isn't Reston Roberts though either.
Ha ha. He has a questionable skill set and is slow but you didn't say he was a dud or crap... so funnyasian tetley said:
Seeing I have consistently said over the last few months that I would prefer to see Dimma gone I wonder who has the vivid imagination?
You must have me mixed up with someone else.
Have a read of my posts before making stuff up
B
Bill James
Guest
Hates to handball? He didn't kick till after intermission in his highlight reel?bullus_hit said:
Had good leadership qualities too which is soemthing we moan about Nd lack. Captained the SA U18 side. Hope he has a long successful career with us.
Barnzy said:
bullus_hit said:I'm really struggling to separate Atley, Clarke & Graham. Every time I decide who I like better, another one of the trio bobs up with a super impressive performance. Now with the season just about done and dusted I'm committing myself to a choice, this may well change based on endurance numbers (speed not so important) but I have a pretty good idea about each players ability to get the contest. For the record, I rate Scharenberg well ahead of all these players however I can't see us landing him unless we buy into the top 20.
Best Kick
Atley gets the nod here easily. Despite the fact his kicks lack a bit of depth they find their mark more often than not and part of his no-frills reputation comes from his tendency to play within his limitations - I would never mark a player down for this. Mathew Priddis won a Brownlow playing to his strengths, his kicking is limited but he's adapted his game to predominantly become a handball specialist. Atley's kick to handball ratio is 1:2 for the most part, he certainly doesn't try and overuse the ball and when he does kick, his efficiency is generally above 50%. If we break that down further, since the state carnival Atley has never dipped under 50%, that indicates improvement and an ability to refine his game. I mentioned Patrick Cripps in an earlier post and this is exactly how I see Atley tracking, whilst he probably won't have the same impact, they definitely play a similar game. For the record, Atley's KE has been 75% since the middle of May, this is a very good number for a player who wins 60% of his possessions in contested situations.
Clarke & Graham are two players who seem to regularly miss targets and I actually believe that Graham's stats were a little bit misleading given quite a few scrubbers were made to look good by his team mates further up the ground. Technically speaking I don't like the ball drop of either and feel that the odds of improvement are much longer unless there's some serious remedial work on the training track. Given that Richmond have an awful record of development I'm inclined to steer clear of players with kicking flaws.
Clearance Ability
When Graham and Atley went to head to head the figures were 9 - 3 in Graham's favour and probably cemented his reputation as a clearance specialist. However against Vic Metro Graham only had 1 clearance and Clarke registered 9, this was the only occasion when Graham had his colours lowered. Against Country, Clarke had 6 but Atley was rested, it's probably worth mentioning that Clarke's DE was running at 58% that day, a little below what I would deem acceptable.
When analysing their ball use, both Atley & Clarke look to generally dish the ball off by hand, both have a good technique with raising the arms and opening up the space above shoulder level. For the most part their delivery is sound although from the naked eye it felt as though the opposition tended to anticipate Clarke's initial movements and were able to shark the contest. Graham is a slightly different breed, he generally opts for the quick kick out of congestion and as a result, it becomes a strategy of meterage gained rather than maintaining possession. This could be found out at AFL level and is something which may have recruiters slightly concerned. I think as a final observation, Graham & Clarke probably have the edge on sheer numbers but it would appear that Atley is the better user in tight congestion. It then becomes a question of selecting a player whose game can be refined or taking the player whose overall numbers need to be increased. When looking at the entire draft pool it's Scharenberg who has set the benchmark.
Overall Production
I think it's fair to say that Graham & Clarke are bigger ball winners than Joe, this has been evident at state level and also in the u/18's. Clarke averaged 30 possessions & 8 tackles a game at TAC level, these high numbers were largely maintained at state level. Graham has also had some excellent numbers which have translated to senior football. Atley's numbers haven't been horrible, with 20 touches at state level and 22 at TAC level, he also didn't look out of place against Essendon reserves with 16 touches and 2 goals.
So the question still beckons, who is the best bet out of this group? Atley has the better disposal from my perspective but hasn't quite reached the key parameters when selecting a midfielder, 22 disposals is solid but fractionally short of acceptable production. Unfortunately I'm concerned with Richmond's ability to develop and iron out any technical flaws so I think it would be better to focus on skill rather than numbers at this stage. Atley's last month of football hasn't been too shabby all things considered and he's featured in the best players in three matches (the only blip being a Tim Taranto blitzkrieg). His 78% DE at the state carnival is also a good indicator that he is polished enough to contribute at the next level.
Second in line I'm opting for Graham, I just think he has the numbers on the board with a Larke medal and some high grade football at senior level. His kicking technique is a slight concern but I have to acknowledge that he kicks more than he handballs yet the stats are still telling me his efficiency is up in the high 60's. Leadership also needs to be considered here and Graham isn't a player who will take a backward step.
As for Clarke, his KE is under 50% and despite the fact he generally handballs his overall efficiency hasn't really benefited to any great degree. If he's available at pick 42 I'd consider but I'm tempted to look at some of the outside runners like Villis & Florent with any higher picks.
keepa lids onit said:
Graham does love a handball it seems.
Hope there are more strings to his bow.
Whoa Bully.
Might need to modify the overall info on your post. Did you put Scharenberg as a possible top twenty ahead of these other blokes? He didn't get drafted last night, did he? :angel:
Only havin a larf, personally know sweet fanny about the youngsters coming into the system and enjoy reading all the goss from the few who spend time watching n reviewing the kids. Just can't resist when an obvious opening arises, just hafta stick my fat head in n poke n prod.
Might need to modify the overall info on your post. Did you put Scharenberg as a possible top twenty ahead of these other blokes? He didn't get drafted last night, did he? :angel:
Only havin a larf, personally know sweet fanny about the youngsters coming into the system and enjoy reading all the goss from the few who spend time watching n reviewing the kids. Just can't resist when an obvious opening arises, just hafta stick my fat head in n poke n prod.
Thanks, Bullus, for those stats.
Anyone, however, would be forgiven, after viewing the highlights reel, that Graham had about four or five handballs for every kick.
TigerMasochist said:
You will see after the combine I savaged Scharenberg after his running results.
bullus_hit said:
Sssshhh! Recall seeing that bit now, didn't have to remind me while I was bagging your previous post on the possibles.bullus_hit said:
Been reading these threads for way to long a time n always interested in the junior pre draft stuff. Quite happy to read others thoughts n opinions regarding the kids as I don't get to see much of them before they get picked up.
Must be the first time in a few years that you n a few others that follow the youngsters coming through are reasonably happy with our efforts this year, might have preferred we hold our earliest pick but at least with some established quality and some promising youngsters coming in this time, it's not all doom n gloom over reject spuds or over reaching for the unexpected.
Before I read your post I watched his highlights and was trying to work out who his running style reminded me of and it is actually Ron Barassi !lamb22 said:
On watching his highlight video appears the dime a dozen hard nut mid which every team needs, may not be the next Josh Kennedy, however his hands in tight and under impact seem crucially clean, hopefully will be a key cog in the midfield rotation.
Graham, along with Prestia and Caddy, immediately help Martin and Cotchin. So I'm all for that. Doesn't need to be a great kick if he can get the thing in tight and get it out to others..which by the sounds is his bread and butter!
