Jezzza
8 Dec 2010, 08:48
Taken at pick 4 in the 2010 Afl Draft the club soon showed the high level of expectation they have in the young Gaff by giving him the prized number 3 jumper worn previously by Mainy and Judd, two legends of our club.
The player comparison that is used most often when talking about Gaff is that of Luke Power. A very good allrounder but unlikely to break a game open off his own boot. Elite endurance, with solid disposal skills and the ability to get into the right spots to receive the ball and distribute it to others.
Basic Stats
Height - 182cm
Weight - 78kg
2010 TAC Cup Stats
Matches 4
Goals 9
Goals Ave 2
High Score 6
Kicks Effective 44
Kicks Ineffective 23
Handballs Effective 44
Handballs Ineffective 7
Handballs Received 40
Tackles 5
Frees For 4
Frees Against 1
Contested Marks 5
Uncontested Marks 24
Some videos
AFL Total Access Interview with Andrew Gaff
qiR_n2hcVh8
2010 Highlights from AFL.com
http://bigpondvideo.com/AFL/297386/andrew-gaff/
2009 U18 Championships Andrew Gaff V SA
4fJOvbcc3Ck
Words from some avid draft watchers
Emma Quayle:
http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/picks-of-the-draft-andrew-gaff-20101116-17vdj.html
The lowdown: A tireless, diligent, will-work-as-hard-as-my-team-needs-me-to-for-as-long-as-it-needs-me-to player, Gaff has insisted on being one of the best prospects in this year's draft. Accumulates a lot of the ball without necessarily doing it in an eye-catching way, although when you look back at him on tape, his anticipation around the packs is excellent. He does his best work without giving you much time to notice. He's a player who perhaps doesn't have one in-your-face, standout quality, but does everything to a very high level and will be as good as he can be. He's a first round pick, anywhere from No. 4 (West Coast) down.
Kevin Sheehan:
http://www.afl.com.au/news/newsarticle/tabid/208/newsid/102024/default.aspx
Left-footer with a terrific game sense; imposes himself on games and has good pace and endurance combination. All-Australian team member in the 2010 NAB AFL Under-18 Championships, where he averaged 27 disposals at 79 per cent efficiency.
Snoop Dog:
http://www.bigfooty.com/forum/showpost.php?p=19557242&postcount=1
Andrew Gaff – Oakleigh / 183cm / 78kg
Profile : Wonderful player who played champs the last 2 years and performed exceptionally well as he did at the DC where his results were amongst the best in many categories. Racks up the possessions and tend to use it very well (champs efficiency was a whopping 79%) particularly off HB where he likes to set the play up. Also very adept at centre clearances and reminds of Power & Dal Santo in how he can hurt without a heap of touches. Super in traffic, great first step and happy knack of finding himself in space which allows him to use his left foot with good precision. Also good at the little things – chases / tackles etc so cant fault him on that and has obvious leadership qualities as well. If there is a knock on Gaff it is that there is a view he doesn’t hurt offensively. In saying that he shown in a number of games he is capable so maybe it’s just the role he plays and what he is asked to do.
Why Richmond: Yes he is very smilar to Cotchin but who cares. Super talent and will ensure a quality midfield for Richmond in 2-3 years time. Between Martin, Cotchin and Gaff Richmond’s ability to win ball from stoppages is going to be awesome. They only issue is that maybe an outside mid would be better or a ruckmen to ensure they get fed the ball as much as they deserve.
Similar to: Luke Power / Nick Dal Santo
Roughie: Polec / Heppell / Conca or real smokey Lynch
Draft Range: 4 – 10
Knighmare:
http://www.bigfooty.com/forum/showpost.php?p=19342278&postcount=1
#4 (West Coast) – Andrew Gaff (VIC)
Height: 183cm, Weight: 78kg, DOB: 16/06/1992
Recruited from: Oakleigh Chargers
Style: Bryce Gibbs/ Luke Power
Range: 4-6
Why: Absolutely outstanding prospect. His work ethic and application to his footy is second to none and as a player lock him in for a very long career with the way he goes about his footy. Has great versatility and can play midfield, up forward or down back comfortably. Also has a bit of an outside receiving feel. Is viewed by many as more of an outside player but I think his inside skills are very much under rated and I see them developing well with time so he could play either to a very high standard at AFL level. Really a very good all round player. One thing that stands out with Gaff is that he is a gut runner. Fantastic work rate and skills are very good. Future leadership material here. Some say Gaff lacks hurt factor which is a criticism of him and for an outside mid he certainly could do with a greater weapon, but this isn’t a huge weakness by any stretch. I’m very confident he can iron out all of his relative weaknesses and become a very good all rounder and a productive player for a very long time at AFL level. The main question with Gaff is his upside and whether he does have star potential.
Quigely:
http://www.bigfooty.com/forum/showpost.php?p=19518344&postcount=2
Andrew Gaff
DOB 16/6/92 Ht 182 Wt 78
Gaff is a very special package and I consider him a virtual certainty to be at least a very good player in the AFL. There has been a fair bit of talking of him down in various BF circles and personally I am not seeing what the trouble is. Firstly what he is not – he is not a hard nosed inside ball winner. He is capable of winning his own ball when it is his turn but he is predominantly an outside receiver. He will shark packs and pick up balls that fall his way but mostly he will position himself to receive or use his endurance to create space. At the champs he often played as a link man between the defense and the midfield. He is a great safety valve who is always open and when he gets the ball he does good things with it. He has also shown himself to be a capable goal scoring half forward at TAC level but personally I think he has more value behind the ball where he can use his endurance to best effect.
His kicking is often criticised and I think this is way off base. The popular opinion is all he can do is chip it around and he can’t kick over a jam tin. This is not right. He actually has pretty good penetration on his kicking when he decides to use it. The thing is though that he rarely does. He likes to play within his limits and he excels at that. When he gets in a full time environment I am sure that you will start to see him kicking it a lot further because he will be more confident and the players he is playing with will be open and working further down the field. His short to mid range kicking is exceptional. He picks good targets and then hits them often with the running taking the ball in stride. When he goes with the shorter options he does tend to lean back on his kick which does rule out a change to a longer option but the lean does tend to give him excellent feel on his shorter kicks. He is a left footer and is pretty one sided. He occasionally uses his right but looks awkward doing it and occasionally gets into trouble trying to get onto the left rather than using his right. Although he plays more behind the ball than ahead of it he does occasionally get forward and is a pretty reasonable shot on goal. When he gets the ball in scoring distance his eyes tend to light up and he will lock on goal rather than opting to give off. Not selfish but sure in his ability to put it through given the chance.
He has excellent game sense and he reads the play exceptionally well. He runs to the right places, evaluates the situation quickly and will take the best option nine times out of ten. He does not rush his disposal under pressure and will take that extra second or two needed for his target to pop open. If there is a criticism I think he could do more of the little team things coaches love like shepherding. Tackling as well is not a strength of his and is something that will be worked on at the next level. He has elite endurance (he won the 3km in 10 mins flat and did a 15.3 in the beep test) and uses that well going forward where not only does he show good endurance but elite gut running ability. Quite simply there is no-on who can go with him at AFL level. He probably needs to use his running power a little more often when the ball is going the other way. His other tests were all pretty average (not bad just middle of the pack). He is not a hugely quick player and tends not to play with a whole lot of pace but you do not often see him caught and you do see him running away from his pursuers quite often. He is fairly thin at the moment but he does have reasonable legs and looks like he will bulk up fine as he gets older. He does need to work on his strength and his core strength in particular and he gets buffeted around in the air a bit. He is a reasonable mark but I would not say this was a strength of his. His character, dedication and intellect are exceptional and should stand him in good stead at the next level.
Overall he is a the lowest risk prospect in this draft. At worst you are going to get a very good player. His ceiling is very underrated and I think there are few who have more upside potential.
Miscellaneous Articles
http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/onballer-shows-why-he-heads-draft-lists-20100530-wngk.html
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/the-loaded-gun/story-e6frf9jf-1225884688360
http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/charger-gaff-running-hot-20100905-14w2c.html
http://www.westcoasteagles.com.au/news/newsarticle/tabid/7155/newsid/105724/default.aspx
Now we just need some nominations for his nickname, I've heard Dilligaff is one any others?
Also if anyone has any other videos or articles they would like to add feel free to do so.
The player comparison that is used most often when talking about Gaff is that of Luke Power. A very good allrounder but unlikely to break a game open off his own boot. Elite endurance, with solid disposal skills and the ability to get into the right spots to receive the ball and distribute it to others.
Basic Stats
Height - 182cm
Weight - 78kg
2010 TAC Cup Stats
Matches 4
Goals 9
Goals Ave 2
High Score 6
Kicks Effective 44
Kicks Ineffective 23
Handballs Effective 44
Handballs Ineffective 7
Handballs Received 40
Tackles 5
Frees For 4
Frees Against 1
Contested Marks 5
Uncontested Marks 24
Some videos
AFL Total Access Interview with Andrew Gaff
qiR_n2hcVh8
2010 Highlights from AFL.com
http://bigpondvideo.com/AFL/297386/andrew-gaff/
2009 U18 Championships Andrew Gaff V SA
4fJOvbcc3Ck
Words from some avid draft watchers
Emma Quayle:
http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/picks-of-the-draft-andrew-gaff-20101116-17vdj.html
The lowdown: A tireless, diligent, will-work-as-hard-as-my-team-needs-me-to-for-as-long-as-it-needs-me-to player, Gaff has insisted on being one of the best prospects in this year's draft. Accumulates a lot of the ball without necessarily doing it in an eye-catching way, although when you look back at him on tape, his anticipation around the packs is excellent. He does his best work without giving you much time to notice. He's a player who perhaps doesn't have one in-your-face, standout quality, but does everything to a very high level and will be as good as he can be. He's a first round pick, anywhere from No. 4 (West Coast) down.
Kevin Sheehan:
http://www.afl.com.au/news/newsarticle/tabid/208/newsid/102024/default.aspx
Left-footer with a terrific game sense; imposes himself on games and has good pace and endurance combination. All-Australian team member in the 2010 NAB AFL Under-18 Championships, where he averaged 27 disposals at 79 per cent efficiency.
Snoop Dog:
http://www.bigfooty.com/forum/showpost.php?p=19557242&postcount=1
Andrew Gaff – Oakleigh / 183cm / 78kg
Profile : Wonderful player who played champs the last 2 years and performed exceptionally well as he did at the DC where his results were amongst the best in many categories. Racks up the possessions and tend to use it very well (champs efficiency was a whopping 79%) particularly off HB where he likes to set the play up. Also very adept at centre clearances and reminds of Power & Dal Santo in how he can hurt without a heap of touches. Super in traffic, great first step and happy knack of finding himself in space which allows him to use his left foot with good precision. Also good at the little things – chases / tackles etc so cant fault him on that and has obvious leadership qualities as well. If there is a knock on Gaff it is that there is a view he doesn’t hurt offensively. In saying that he shown in a number of games he is capable so maybe it’s just the role he plays and what he is asked to do.
Why Richmond: Yes he is very smilar to Cotchin but who cares. Super talent and will ensure a quality midfield for Richmond in 2-3 years time. Between Martin, Cotchin and Gaff Richmond’s ability to win ball from stoppages is going to be awesome. They only issue is that maybe an outside mid would be better or a ruckmen to ensure they get fed the ball as much as they deserve.
Similar to: Luke Power / Nick Dal Santo
Roughie: Polec / Heppell / Conca or real smokey Lynch
Draft Range: 4 – 10
Knighmare:
http://www.bigfooty.com/forum/showpost.php?p=19342278&postcount=1
#4 (West Coast) – Andrew Gaff (VIC)
Height: 183cm, Weight: 78kg, DOB: 16/06/1992
Recruited from: Oakleigh Chargers
Style: Bryce Gibbs/ Luke Power
Range: 4-6
Why: Absolutely outstanding prospect. His work ethic and application to his footy is second to none and as a player lock him in for a very long career with the way he goes about his footy. Has great versatility and can play midfield, up forward or down back comfortably. Also has a bit of an outside receiving feel. Is viewed by many as more of an outside player but I think his inside skills are very much under rated and I see them developing well with time so he could play either to a very high standard at AFL level. Really a very good all round player. One thing that stands out with Gaff is that he is a gut runner. Fantastic work rate and skills are very good. Future leadership material here. Some say Gaff lacks hurt factor which is a criticism of him and for an outside mid he certainly could do with a greater weapon, but this isn’t a huge weakness by any stretch. I’m very confident he can iron out all of his relative weaknesses and become a very good all rounder and a productive player for a very long time at AFL level. The main question with Gaff is his upside and whether he does have star potential.
Quigely:
http://www.bigfooty.com/forum/showpost.php?p=19518344&postcount=2
Andrew Gaff
DOB 16/6/92 Ht 182 Wt 78
Gaff is a very special package and I consider him a virtual certainty to be at least a very good player in the AFL. There has been a fair bit of talking of him down in various BF circles and personally I am not seeing what the trouble is. Firstly what he is not – he is not a hard nosed inside ball winner. He is capable of winning his own ball when it is his turn but he is predominantly an outside receiver. He will shark packs and pick up balls that fall his way but mostly he will position himself to receive or use his endurance to create space. At the champs he often played as a link man between the defense and the midfield. He is a great safety valve who is always open and when he gets the ball he does good things with it. He has also shown himself to be a capable goal scoring half forward at TAC level but personally I think he has more value behind the ball where he can use his endurance to best effect.
His kicking is often criticised and I think this is way off base. The popular opinion is all he can do is chip it around and he can’t kick over a jam tin. This is not right. He actually has pretty good penetration on his kicking when he decides to use it. The thing is though that he rarely does. He likes to play within his limits and he excels at that. When he gets in a full time environment I am sure that you will start to see him kicking it a lot further because he will be more confident and the players he is playing with will be open and working further down the field. His short to mid range kicking is exceptional. He picks good targets and then hits them often with the running taking the ball in stride. When he goes with the shorter options he does tend to lean back on his kick which does rule out a change to a longer option but the lean does tend to give him excellent feel on his shorter kicks. He is a left footer and is pretty one sided. He occasionally uses his right but looks awkward doing it and occasionally gets into trouble trying to get onto the left rather than using his right. Although he plays more behind the ball than ahead of it he does occasionally get forward and is a pretty reasonable shot on goal. When he gets the ball in scoring distance his eyes tend to light up and he will lock on goal rather than opting to give off. Not selfish but sure in his ability to put it through given the chance.
He has excellent game sense and he reads the play exceptionally well. He runs to the right places, evaluates the situation quickly and will take the best option nine times out of ten. He does not rush his disposal under pressure and will take that extra second or two needed for his target to pop open. If there is a criticism I think he could do more of the little team things coaches love like shepherding. Tackling as well is not a strength of his and is something that will be worked on at the next level. He has elite endurance (he won the 3km in 10 mins flat and did a 15.3 in the beep test) and uses that well going forward where not only does he show good endurance but elite gut running ability. Quite simply there is no-on who can go with him at AFL level. He probably needs to use his running power a little more often when the ball is going the other way. His other tests were all pretty average (not bad just middle of the pack). He is not a hugely quick player and tends not to play with a whole lot of pace but you do not often see him caught and you do see him running away from his pursuers quite often. He is fairly thin at the moment but he does have reasonable legs and looks like he will bulk up fine as he gets older. He does need to work on his strength and his core strength in particular and he gets buffeted around in the air a bit. He is a reasonable mark but I would not say this was a strength of his. His character, dedication and intellect are exceptional and should stand him in good stead at the next level.
Overall he is a the lowest risk prospect in this draft. At worst you are going to get a very good player. His ceiling is very underrated and I think there are few who have more upside potential.
Miscellaneous Articles
http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/onballer-shows-why-he-heads-draft-lists-20100530-wngk.html
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/the-loaded-gun/story-e6frf9jf-1225884688360
http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/charger-gaff-running-hot-20100905-14w2c.html
http://www.westcoasteagles.com.au/news/newsarticle/tabid/7155/newsid/105724/default.aspx
Now we just need some nominations for his nickname, I've heard Dilligaff is one any others?
Also if anyone has any other videos or articles they would like to add feel free to do so.