Phantom said:
Lennon is my top pick in the range we find ourselves in, just a polished player who will play 200 games. The interesting thing with Lennon is whether he has the inside game to make it as a damaging midfielder, his last month of TAC performances put some of those doubts to rest.
Hourigan is a better version of O'Hanlon, he's a booming kick too. The issue with these Hourigan types is they can be one trick pony's - the lead, mark and goal forwards. He's not quite KP height either, granted he's a powerfully built unit but he's not noted as having a big tank, this means some serious mileage needs to be put into those tree trunk legs.
Bontempelli probably fits in the Lennon category, will he take his game to the next level and become an elite mid? I'm not completely sold but I reckon he'll find a niche as a Grant Birchall type who causes some serious damage as a rebounding back flanker. He's a few centimetres shy of KP height and is bottom aged so there may even be the prospect of him growing another inch.
As for that elusive rover you refer to, Billy Hartung is by far the best candidate, he ticks most of the boxes I see as critical for the role he plays. His disposal is first class, he's got exceptional evasive skills, his tank is huge and he's got some pretty handy afterburners to compliment his endurance. He can also kick goals from outside the 50 metre arc, something which should be highly valued at draft time.
The knocks on Hartung will firstly comedown to his apparent frustrations with close checking opponents. This I'm not so fussed about because despite his inability to cope with a hard tag, I think his endurance will eventually become a weapon against the serial pests. It's also worth noting that Billy did an exceptional shutdown job on James Aish, keeping him to just 4 touches in a half of footy. This bodes well for his ability to serve out a thorough apprenticeship as an onballer.
The biggest concern will come with his height, at 177cm he may find himself on the outer with some recruiters. Personally I don't think it should be a deal breaker, Collingwood has proven that height isn't the be all, end all, when it comes to making the grade. From a Richmond perspective, Hartung represents an immediate need and has most of the tools to become an AFL footballer. His draft range is probably 15-25, so if we're considering downgrading pick 11, then he could be the perfect candidate.
:-X
