He looked very fit in the intra club and got plenty of the ball, Merv. His ball use was rushed in a few instances when he had more time to balance up and use effectively. He kept going to ground in the clinches and would've been pinned for holding the ball a couple of times at AFL level for jumping on the pill instead of keeping his feet. But unlike a lot of our guys, he is a ferociously strong player, laid a stack of tackles and his pace was evident throughout the match, so there is hope for him in 2017 if his body holds up. Continuity will help to add the polish he was lacking on Saturday morning. He's one to watch in the JLT with interest - he's like a new recruit.
Since he was pick 6 in the 2010 National Draft, I can understand some of Conca hatred on here. But at 22 and 23, in 2015 & 16, he couldn't get on the park. In his 3rd season in 2014, he'd got his average tackle count up to an average of 5 per game. A truly Herculean number on the Richmond list. Unheard of. Now as a 24 year old we might be ready to see the best of him in 2017. He's no world beater, but he is a busy player whose tackles stick and he has the pace to apply that manic pressure we desperately lacked in 2016.
First round picks do represent a club's best chance to get A grade talent on the list and it stings when top liners like Tom Lynch (GC) and Dyson Heppell get overlooked for a bloke who isn't going to reach their heights. But unlike a couple of our recent first round picks, Reece Conca can get involved in the game with his pace and win or shut down a contest with his strength. Reece doesn't have the skills to be as good as Dyson Heppell in 2017, but the Richmond engine room doesn't lack glamour, it lacks support from the underlist. Conca is an important part of an underlist that evaporated under Francis Jackson's recruiting and forced us to trade in talent with valuable draft picks. He doesn't have to be Heppell, but he does have the upside to be entrenched in a 22 in a side that wins a final. We want him to stay fit. If he does, we'll get a look at what Reece Conca the senior footballer can do. If that's a step up from Reece Conca the developing first round draft pick, Richmond will be a better side in 2017.
