U18 players to watch - 2013

[bullus_hit]

Hypithetical BH, if you had the choice of Lennon or Adams who would you choose?

It is a hypothetical because my gut feeling is Lennon will go in the top ten, he's come home like a freight train and I believe allayed many fears about his ability to play midfield. After the u/18 carnival I was suitably impressed with his potential as a classy strong marking forward, his kicking would already place him amongst the most penetrating and accurate in the league. He's particularly agile as well, so will be a hard man to nail down when he gets hold of the pill. But back to his kicking, if eventually Lennon finds his way down back, he will be the ideal zone buster, something which will have the opposition second guessing. That's not to say I see him primarily as a back flanker, his last month of TAC football was top shelf and the numbers were befitting of a player with a severe case of leather poisoning. In his first final he racked up a lazy 25 touches and kicked three goals, the game before it was 37 touches and a goal, the week before it was 28 and 2 majors. Dare I say it but one could even call it Dustin Martin like, but unlike Martin, Lennon appears to revel on the big stage (sorry Dusty but you deserved that).

So back to the original question, would I prefer Adams? I'm going to sit on the fence a little longer and wait for the endurance numbers to come through. If Lennon has a decent tank to match all his other fine attributes, then he gets my vote. Classy goal kicking midfielders are a rare commodity, and at Richmond, he would be icing on the cake.

Cheers for your views BH, always a good read.
Thoughts on Kennedy-Harris?

He's one I've bookmarked pending draft camp results. He's quick, skilled, has leadership credentials and represents something we sorely miss, that is a tenacious whippet who can manufacture goals from scraps and spillages. His disposal numbers aren't huge against quality opposition but he does have hurt factor. And despite his small frame he's not afraid to get his hands dirty. I think if he's still around by our second pick he could be worth a look - provided he has decent aerobic capacity. In saying that, I'd prefer we took the punt on Garlett who has already shown he can already dominate against the big boys.

 

[Scoop]

Bully, is Lennon a better David Mundy? I think so.

 

[tigs2010]

Tigs do you think Impey would be there at our 3rd pick or would we need to use our 2nd?

Im not sure. I always find those types hard to rate tbh. Small forwards often last till later.

 

[mad_tiggy911]

Any chance we can upgrade 11 to snare Lennon?

From all the reports and from limited footage looks the goods.

 

[bullus_hit]

Bully, is Lennon a better David Mundy? I think so.

I think he is, although I'm still holding out for the endurance results before giving him the midfield stamp of approval. But stylistically, he's very similar in that he glides across the turf and delivers low trajectory bullets. I've heard some suggest he's too outside and a player susceptible to shut down jobs, but ultimately you can't tag everyone and he would find himself surrounded by equally talented players. As a worst case scenario, a coach could swing him forward (after all that's his bread and butter), or even send him back to shore up a panicked defence (Richmond could do with a steady hand at times). The other aspect that has impressed me is his ability to turn defence into attack - Shannon Hurn-like with his kicking depth. With this versatility he has all the tools to eke out a very long career.

 

[zippadeee]

Will we would keep our pick?
Because apparently this draft isn't a deep draft

 

[ToraToraTora]

Will we would keep our pick?

Thank you. I've just arrived at work and you've given me a lesson plan. Keep it up.

 

[BrisTiger24]

I think he is, although I'm still holding out for the endurance results before giving him the midfield stamp of approval. But stylistically, he's very similar in that he glides across the turf and delivers low trajectory bullets. I've heard some suggest he's too outside and a player susceptible to shut down jobs, but ultimately you can't tag everyone and he would find himself surrounded by equally talented players. As a worst case scenario, a coach could swing him forward (after all that's his bread and butter), or even send him back to shore up a panicked defence (Richmond could do with a steady hand at times). The other aspect that has impressed me is his ability to turn defence into attack - Shannon Hurn-like with his kicking depth. With this versatility he has all the tools to eke out a very long career.

Im sold. Lets lock him in.

As long as he's better than Bruce Lennon was.

 

[pahoffm]

I'd lock Lennon in too, but he may well go before we get a crack at him.

 

[BrisTiger24]

Could we look for a club in development mode and perhaps offer our first and second pick for their first pick? I reckon Brisbane or Saints would do something like that. Would give them 3 picks in top 30 and would allow us to grab Lennon.

 

[pahoffm]

Pretty good website for potential draftee profiles.

http://www.scpaige.com.au/draftee-profiles/

 

[Stylo]

Pretty good website for potential draftee profiles.

http://www.scpaige.com.au/draftee-profiles/

Thanks for that Phantom, good page.

Loved the Salem write up:

"Incredibly well balanced on both sides of his body, Christian Salem is physical and strong and loves to tackle. Draft enthusiasts have nick-named Salem as “the hunter”, and it’s not hard to see why. He hunts the ball carrier, he harasses, corrals and puts pressure where the ball is – more often than not coming out with the ball himself, or at the very least causing a turnover. Tackling is the highlight of Salem’s game, along with innate ability to use the ball either side of his body, Salem is a beautiful kick and knows how to finish on goal. Salem has a lot of Luke Hodge in the way that he plays; he’s hard, uncompromising, tough, courageous and will put his head over the ball and never shirk a contest; he has a very combative style of play that makes his teammates sit back and think “Gee, it’s good to on this guy’s team!,” with every team-oriented act he displays. Salem’s work off the ball is also a feature of his game, especially in the way he blocks and Sheppard’s and gives “unrewarded runs” to draw his opponent away from dangerous areas – his footy smarts are unbelievable, and is the epitome of a team player. Perhaps however, the best part of Salem’s game is his gutsy two-way running, which is paramount in today’s game. He has a huge tank, and offers some very good leg speed, and is at his best when he can give, get and go. Although predominately an outside player, Salem has some serious scope to be a very good inside player, with all of the physical attributes suited to that position. He could turn out to be one of the most balanced and well-polished players of his draft crop, and will add instant depth and substance to any teams midfield rotations."

Sounds like an FJ pick if ever there were one

 

[tigertim]

Thanks for that Phantom, good page.

Loved the Salem write up:

"Incredibly well balanced on both sides of his body, Christian Salem is physical and strong and loves to tackle. Draft enthusiasts have nick-named Salem as “the hunter”, and it’s not hard to see why. He hunts the ball carrier, he harasses, corrals and puts pressure where the ball is – more often than not coming out with the ball himself, or at the very least causing a turnover. Tackling is the highlight of Salem’s game, along with innate ability to use the ball either side of his body, Salem is a beautiful kick and knows how to finish on goal. Salem has a lot of Luke Hodge in the way that he plays; he’s hard, uncompromising, tough, courageous and will put his head over the ball and never shirk a contest; he has a very combative style of play that makes his teammates sit back and think “Gee, it’s good to on this guy’s team!,” with every team-oriented act he displays. Salem’s work off the ball is also a feature of his game, especially in the way he blocks and Sheppard’s and gives “unrewarded runs” to draw his opponent away from dangerous areas – his footy smarts are unbelievable, and is the epitome of a team player. Perhaps however, the best part of Salem’s game is his gutsy two-way running, which is paramount in today’s game. He has a huge tank, and offers some very good leg speed, and is at his best when he can give, get and go. Although predominately an outside player, Salem has some serious scope to be a very good inside player, with all of the physical attributes suited to that position. He could turn out to be one of the most balanced and well-polished players of his draft crop, and will add instant depth and substance to any teams midfield rotations."

Sounds like an FJ pick if ever there were one

Sounds fantastic....but so did Fioras, in fact the write up on just about every under 18 player makes them sound like the next Garry Ablett. I think for duffers like me its just easier to wait and see.

 

[PJ in Osaka]

Thanks for that Phantom, good page.

Loved the Salem write up:

"Incredibly well balanced on both sides of his body, Christian Salem is physical and strong and loves to tackle. Draft enthusiasts have nick-named Salem as “the hunter”, and it’s not hard to see why. He hunts the ball carrier, he harasses, corrals and puts pressure where the ball is – more often than not coming out with the ball himself, or at the very least causing a turnover. Tackling is the highlight of Salem’s game, along with innate ability to use the ball either side of his body, Salem is a beautiful kick and knows how to finish on goal. Salem has a lot of Luke Hodge in the way that he plays; he’s hard, uncompromising, tough, courageous and will put his head over the ball and never shirk a contest; he has a very combative style of play that makes his teammates sit back and think “Gee, it’s good to on this guy’s team!,” with every team-oriented act he displays. Salem’s work off the ball is also a feature of his game, especially in the way he blocks and Sheppard’s and gives “unrewarded runs” to draw his opponent away from dangerous areas – his footy smarts are unbelievable, and is the epitome of a team player. Perhaps however, the best part of Salem’s game is his gutsy two-way running, which is paramount in today’s game. He has a huge tank, and offers some very good leg speed, and is at his best when he can give, get and go. Although predominately an outside player, Salem has some serious scope to be a very good inside player, with all of the physical attributes suited to that position. He could turn out to be one of the most balanced and well-polished players of his draft crop, and will add instant depth and substance to any teams midfield rotations."

Sounds like an FJ pick if ever there were one

Yes please. Can we get two of those!

 

[Chiang Mai Tiger]

Sounds fantastic....but so did Fioras, in fact the write up on just about every under 18 player makes them sound like the next Garry Ablett. I think for duffers like me its just easier to wait and see.

;D I still have Sheehans write up on JON. What a star he was gonna be.

 

[bullus_hit]

Sounds fantastic....but so did Fioras, in fact the write up on just about every under 18 player makes them sound like the next Garry Ablett. I think for duffers like me its just easier to wait and see.

Fiora and JON were soft skinny outside types with no defensive side to their game, I think if you grab the players with outstanding defensive qualities, you have a much bigger chance of nailing a winner. At worst, Salem will be a hardworking forward who will replace Jakey King, at best he'll be a damaging mid who can kick goals and hurt the opposition with pinpoint delivery. He's a classic Frank pick, he's AIS graduate with leadership credentials and he doesn't possess any major flaws with his footballing skills. If he scores well at the Combine, I think there's a very strong chance he'll be a Tiger.

 

[Sintiger]

Fiora and JON were soft skinny outside types with no defensive side to their game, I think if you grab the players with outstanding defensive qualities, you have a much bigger chance of nailing a winner. At worst, Salem will be a hardworking forward who will replace Jakey King, at best he'll be a damaging mid who can kick goals and hurt the opposition with pinpoint delivery. He's a classic Frank pick, he's AIS graduate with leadership credentials and he doesn't possess any major flaws with his footballing skills. If he scores well at the Combine, I think there's a very strong chance he'll be a Tiger.

There are 10picks before us, 9 if you discount the north father-son pick.

Is he a chance to be gone before he gets to us ?

Probably not much chance we will have pick 11 and Adams unless we are going to release a pretty good player

 

[tigs2010]

Sounds fantastic....but so did Fioras, in fact the write up on just about every under 18 player makes them sound like the next Garry Ablett. I think for duffers like me its just easier to wait and see.

Yeh I don't understand the point of that. Last year when I followed the u18's closer and did my own Phantom Draft I was more than happy to write the bad stuff too. They all have flaws.

 

[tigertim]

Yeh I don't understand the point of that. Last year when I followed the u18's closer and did my own Phantom Draft I was more than happy to write the bad stuff too. They all have flaws.

Well I think I'd rather read yours.

 

[bullus_hit]

There are 10picks before us, 9 if you discount the north father-son pick.

Is he a chance to be gone before he gets to us ?

Probably not much chance we will have pick 11 and Adams unless we are going to release a pretty good player

If we get Adams there we will almost certainly have to cough up 11 (assuming Martin stays), but if not then I think he'll be available. I'm assuming Lennon will go 6-10 and Bontempelli is also knocking on the door of the top 10. If Salem's gone then there still should be a decent player available. Others to consider would be Taylor, Crouch or even Billings (long shot but you never know).