News Will Snelling signs with Sturt

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redandblack said:
Agree with what you say, but Wills isn't remotely as 'big' as Paul Puopolo. He's an inside midfielder with great vision and skills and a tackling machine.
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Drafting Bio
Name: Will Snelling
Age: 18
Height: 173cm
Weight: 77kg
Position: Midfielder
Bio: Small midfielder who captained SA. Prolific ball winner and strong tackler. Won South Australia's MVP and All-Australian U18 honours. Already impressed at senior level with West Adelaide this year, playing 13 matches.

Name: Paul Puopolo
Age: 22
Height: 173cm
Weight: 76kg
Position: Defender
Bio: Mature age attacking defender who breaks lines and is very hard to tackle.
 

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Power freak 2008 said:
Yep, a real work horse. Reminds me of a young Roger James.
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Oh please, oh please. Courtesy of Foxtel's historical games series I'm watching my recording of the 2004 PF v St Kilda at present. One week per quarter as it's all my heart can stand. As the Saints pumped us in the 1st quarter (13 min till we got it inside our 50m) Roger James was our game saving hero. Special, special player.
 
Let's remember that the kid will fill out in time so he can be as big as Poppy after 3-4 years. Already seems to be a bit nuggety in the thighs and glutes. As for the Josh Mahoney comparison, Josh was 180 cm and not as stocky. Lot more similar to Poppy in height and build. Look at his clips and see his legs and bum area.
 
Tibbs said:
Drafting Bio
Name: Will Snelling
Age: 18
Height: 173cm
Weight: 77kg
Position: Midfielder
Bio: Small midfielder who captained SA. Prolific ball winner and strong tackler. Won South Australia's MVP and All-Australian U18 honours. Already impressed at senior level with West Adelaide this year, playing 13 matches.

Name: Paul Puopolo
Age: 22
Height: 173cm
Weight: 76kg
Position: Defender
Bio: Mature age attacking defender who breaks lines and is very hard to tackle.
Click to expand...

Thanks for that, very interesting. Would have thought Paul was bigger than that.

I've seen all of Will's games this year and several last year and he's a totally different type of player to Puopolo and won't break packs the same way, IMO.

He will distribute the hard ball to the best option extremely well, though.

Just so Port people know what to expect from him.
 
redandblack said:
Thanks for that, very interesting. Would have thought Paul was bigger than that.

I've seen all of Will's games this year and several last year and he's a totally different type of player to Puopolo and won't break packs the same way, IMO.

He will distribute the hard ball to the best option extremely well, though.

Just so Port people know what to expect from him.
Click to expand...
I am thinking of the ability to hold your ground and be balanced. As he gets stronger perhaps he can add those attributes to his game but he seems to put his head down over the ball, has time in tight spaces and is super competitive. At least from what I have seen. What astounds me is his quiet achievements. Successful in under 18 and senior level.
 
redandblack said:
Thanks for that, very interesting. Would have thought Paul was bigger than that.

I've seen all of Will's games this year and several last year and he's a totally different type of player to Puopolo and won't break packs the same way, IMO.

He will distribute the hard ball to the best option extremely well, though.

Just so Port people know what to expect from him.
Click to expand...
He will be what he will be. A lot of upside:)
 
redandblack said:
Thanks for that, very interesting. Would have thought Paul was bigger than that.

I've seen all of Will's games this year and several last year and he's a totally different type of player to Puopolo and won't break packs the same way, IMO.

He will distribute the hard ball to the best option extremely well, though.

Just so Port people know what to expect from him.
Click to expand...
Agree, he looks a different type of player from the highlights. But if he applies the same mentality and "toughness" as Puopolo to his game, then he will turn out to be a very good AFL player for us! ... Thanks again for passing on your views on him.
 
Nemisis said:
You forgot to mention the hangers Bucky would often take. He was a little freaky
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Bucky had great hands for a rover. Very strong overhead.

One rover who could take a hanger was Wayne Slattery from South. Took one ripper Kenmax mark of the day that always featured on the replay. ;)
 
Tibbs said:
Drafting Bio
Name: Will Snelling
Age: 18
Height: 173cm
Weight: 77kg
Position: Midfielder
Bio: Small midfielder who captained SA. Prolific ball winner and strong tackler. Won South Australia's MVP and All-Australian U18 honours. Already impressed at senior level with West Adelaide this year, playing 13 matches.

Name: Paul Puopolo
Age: 22
Height: 173cm
Weight: 76kg
Position: Defender
Bio: Mature age attacking defender who breaks lines and is very hard to tackle.
Click to expand...

Puopolo was a little jet. Only saw him a few times for Norwood but you could just tell by his explosiveness, confidence and reading of the play that he was AFL quality.

I picked him in Portia's draft game that year. Super-annoying he's the ultimate plug'n'play component in the Hawthorn machine.
 

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tribey said:
Puopolo was a little jet. Only saw him a few times for Norwood but you could just tell by his explosiveness, confidence and reading of the play that he was AFL quality.

I picked him in Portia's draft game that year. Super-annoying he's the ultimate plug'n'play component in the Hawthorn machine.
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One of the few blokes at Hawthorn I can't conjure up any hate for too, plays like his life depends on it.
 
tribey said:
Puopolo was a little jet. Only saw him a few times for Norwood but you could just tell by his explosiveness, confidence and reading of the play that he was AFL quality.

I picked him in Portia's draft game that year. Super-annoying he's the ultimate plug'n'play component in the Hawthorn machine.
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And to think we could have had him for virtually nothing in that GC trade back Krakouer compo pick, but instead of him we took his team mate, the fastest fumbler and bumbler in sanfl or probably any state league.
 
RussellEbertHandball said:
And to think we could have had him for virtually nothing in that GC trade back Krakouer compo pick, but instead of him we took his team mate, the fastest fumbler and bumbler in sanfl or probably any state league.
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How perplexing was that guy. When most guys fail to make the step-up from SANFL to AFL level it's because their physical advantages no longer apply. In their class everyone's fit, everyone's strong, everyone's quick, everyone has a baseline level of intelligence and reading of the play, and so on.

In Phillips' case his mercurial goalsense and slick crumbing would just disappear for literally no reason.

Put the guy in a Norwood guernsey and five metres clear of an opponent and he'll pounce on a loose ball, gather, accelerate and shell goals from anywhere.

Put the guy in a Port guernsey and five metres clear of an opponent and he'll fumble, stumble, bumble and kick for goal like he had two wooden legs.

Maddening.
 
Was talking with my old man about Snelling just today. Based purely on the highlights he thought he looked the best of all our recruits. I said Bonner but he may well be right.
 
Chachi said:
Was talking with my old man about Snelling just today. Based purely on the highlights he thought he looked the best of all our recruits. I said Bonner but he may well be right.
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I think that he's right. Snelling looks like the best player, Bonner and Houston next cabs off the rank and then Johnson, then Hewett.

I guess the key though is will they make it at AFL level. Snelling being so tiny has a large risk factor that would've weighed him down heavily. Houston looks like he oozes class but can he learn to play a different style of footy in the big league? So he has even bigger questions. But the key is we've got some kids with some raw talent but huge question marks and now we get to see if they can/do develop. At the end of the day that's the purpose of the rookie list, and exactly how you do find a gem.

At the end of the day, right now you'd have to say Bonner and Johnson have the greatest chance of slotting into an AFL side given the roles they play and their attributes, but that doesn't make them the best footballers.
 
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But one thing for sure though, we went for footballers and I like.

Over the last 3 years we have traded and then gone mono like.
Trade plus speed demons.
Trade plus extension ladders.
Trade plus genuine footballers.
 
Snelling is the most complete player of all the new players we drafted right now, but he's also probably got the least scope for improvement as well.
 
tribey said:
How perplexing was that guy. When most guys fail to make the step-up from SANFL to AFL level it's because their physical advantages no longer apply. In their class everyone's fit, everyone's strong, everyone's quick, everyone has a baseline level of intelligence and reading of the play, and so on.

In Phillips' case his mercurial goalsense and slick crumbing would just disappear for literally no reason.

Put the guy in a Norwood guernsey and five metres clear of an opponent and he'll pounce on a loose ball, gather, accelerate and shell goals from anywhere.

Put the guy in a Port guernsey and five metres clear of an opponent and he'll fumble, stumble, bumble and kick for goal like he had two wooden legs.

Maddening.
Click to expand...

Played like his life depended on it, but not in the good way.

Some fight, some take flight.
 
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